Celebrations and Revelations
by Reijiro
Summary: [TT:2] According to the sage wisdom of Mr Casey Jones there are some events in life that, if you remember the entire celebration for them, you just haven’t done it right. Sigh, need I say more?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the follow on from 'Cells and Serpents'. I'm hoping each of these 'Tausha Tales' will be able to stand on their own, though I won't go into a lot of detail about events in previous stories unless it is pivotal to the current story. Thanks heaps to CPQ for beta-reading this for me!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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He loved October. Not too hot, not too cold and it had two of his favourite days of the year! Of course he had to wait till the end of the month for Halloween. But how could his brothers sleep in today? Well, ok, they weren't technically sleeping in yet… it wasn't quite five am. But there was so much to do!

He looked up at the light groan from the door to see Tausha wander in, rubbing her eyes.   
"Rough night?"   
"Talk later. First, caffeine." she waved his query aside, with a weak smile, as she shuffled past.   
"Tch. Ya gotta tell Raph to let you sleep a little at least!" he teased. 'Clonk.' Tausha plonked a mug heavily on the bench, giving him a serious look.   
"No, Mike." she reprimanded sternly, her tone softening a little as she continued "I've already told you. We're friends, nothing more."   
"Uh-huh." That earned him a dark warning glare.   
"I've just been havin'… vivid dreams." she murmured, practically to herself. Mike looked up from the mixing bowl in the crook of his arm to give her a wry sidelong grin.   
"Ya know if you actually came to my room, instead of just dreamin' about it, I'd guarantee you'd still be tired. But you'd be a lot happier for it."   
"Uh-huh." she sarcastically threw back at him.

Putting the bowl back on the bench his smile grew even wider as he noticed her paused in the act of digging out sugar to give a huge yawn. He decided to help her out, stepping over to wrap his arms over hers. He gripped her hand with the spoon, moving it to dump the powder in her mug.   
"Uh…?"   
"I've been thinkin', babe. We should run away together. Somewhere nice, like Fiji! We may not have much money, but I'm sure I could scrape together enough for a bikini and bottle of tequila." Despite his massive cheeky grin he still tensed in anticipation of an elbow to the gut. To his surprise she lightly rested her head back on his shoulder, gently twisting her hand free to drop the spoon in her mug and reach up to caress her fingertips up his other cheek.   
"Mikey…" she breathed as she reached his bandana.   
"Yeah?" he whispered, suddenly feeling very nervous.   
"I hate tequila."   
"OW!" he leapt back, shaking his head in response to her flicking him soundly directly over his ear.

He shot her a doleful look as she giggled at him nursing the right side of his head, almost over-filling her cup with steaming water.   
"That was a rotten thing to do to a guy on his birthday!" he pouted. Her smug grin didn't waver as she rolled her eyes.   
"What d'ya want me to do, kiss it better?" Tausha sighed in resignation as his face lit up in hope. Shaking her head she stepped up to brush a kiss so light he barely felt it by his offended ear.   
"Happy Birthday, Mikey!" she lilted over her shoulder, grabbing her mug to prance out of the kitchen.

A few minutes later Tausha was stood in front of the TVs, watching the early morning news broadcasts. She'd never been a big follower of current affairs before. However, lately she tried to catch bulletins when she could; partly for any news relating to her father, but mainly for the rare little snippets from home. She grimaced slightly as she sipped her brew. The coffee was doing its job, but it had never been a favourite.

She started as an arm wrapped about her waist.   
"Hey." said Raph, resting his chin on her shoulder, effectively dominating the serpent depicted there.   
"Hey." Tausha happily sighed back; covering his hand with her own as it rested against the flat of her tummy. She took another sip.   
"Coffee; nightmares?" he asked in gentle concern.   
"Mm-mm." she shook her head a little, forcing herself to swallow "No… not really…" Before Raph could ask anything further, like why she coloured slightly, Leo interrupted.   
"Anything interesting happening in the world?" he asked, arms crossed as he stood next to them, staring fixedly at the screens.   
"Nah." came the joint reply.

Don couldn't help a smile at the tableau as he approached. He waited until the report on the Middle-east was wrapped up before he broke the silence.   
"Morning!"   
"Good morning."   
"G'day."   
"Yo."   
"Where's Mikey? Thought he'd be up by now..." Don enquired.   
"He is; he's in the kitchen. Making cake, I think." explained Tausha. Leo and Don shared a pained look.   
"We'd better get some breakfast, before the place is a complete disaster zone." warned Leo, leading the way.   
"Yeah. If he thinks I'm cleaning up after him again this year, he'd better think again!" added Don, following his brother.

Raph buried his face against the back of Taushas' shoulder with a groan.   
"S'pose we'd better make a move too." he muttered, not lifting his head until she shifted; turning in the circle of his arm to face him. Resting her free hand on his shoulder, she glanced quickly towards the kitchen door his brothers had just disappeared through before she surprised him; leaning in to press a tender kiss to his cheek.   
"Happy Birthday." she smiled timidly. Feeling her warm against him, her thumb ever-so-slightly caressing the crook of his neck Raph couldn't think of a thing to say. He did, however, find himself half-heartedly fighting the urge to test a little loop hole he'd thought of. After all, he'd only promised never to _ask_ her for another kiss. How annoyed would she be if he just… acted?

'Shoop.' In an automatic response they stepped apart slightly, though Raphs' hand still rested on her opposite hip as she now stood beside him, taking another drink.   
"Ah. Good morning." beamed Splinter, closing the door to his room behind him.   
"Yeah. Mornin' Sensei." grumbled Raph.   
"G'day." Tausha smiled.   
"My son." Splinter queried, a look of concern clouding his face "Is there something wrong?" Shuffling slightly Raph answered,   
"No." his Fathers' sceptical look banishing any thought of trying to get away without some kind of explanation "Not really. It's just that, um, Mike's already started wreckin' the kitchen. So, ah, we'd better grab some breakfast before we risk gettin' stuck to the floor in there. Yeah." With that he made a hasty retreat to join his brothers. With a small wry smile Splinter watched his son disappear, turning back to catch a slightly disgruntled look on the girls' face before it vanished into a smile again.   
"Hmm, I would say that is a wise course of action." Splinter agreed with his departed son.

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Don was sat at the computer by the TVs, hunting down the last few mp3s requested by his brothers, and making a final check of his lighting program for tonight. Raph was in with Master Splinter, getting his present. It was a tradition they had started years ago. With their meagre funds dedicated to keeping them fed during their early years, instead of giving them gifts Splinter wrote each of them a letter. On their birthday they each got to spend some time alone with their Father, going over the contents of their own note. It may not have sounded like much, but Don knew all of his brothers' had kept each and every page they'd received over the years hidden somewhere private, just as he did.

He was particularly eager for his turn this year. The racket from the kitchen was making the wait seem interminable. Despite the radio being turned up to full volume, Mike and Tausha were still managing to drown it out.   
"At least Tau can hold a tune." he tried to console himself "Almost." He winced as neither of them made the high note of the song. He was starting to wish he'd joined Leo on a check of their security systems in the surrounding tunnels.

To Dons' great relief Tausha walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later, blowing a raspberry over her shoulder before making a brief run for it, laughing all the way.   
"And stay out yer varmint!" Mike yelled, shaking a spatula at her from the doorway before disappearing back inside. Still giggling Tausha made her way over lean on the back of Dons' chair.   
"You've been evicted, huh?" Don grinned up at her.   
"Hehe, yeah. Apparently not even _I'm_ allowed to see his masterpiece before his 'grand unveiling'!" They shared a laugh before an easy quiet descended.

"Hey. Can I ask you something?" Tausha tentatively broke the peace.   
"Yeah, sure." Don shrugged, not looking up from the monitor.   
"Um, I've been thinking… How do you guys actually know who old you are?" Don shrugged again.   
"We don't. I actually suspect we may be up to a couple of years older than we originally guessed; going on what I've researched about hatchling growth rates and what Master Splinter remembers of us before we mutated."   
"Oh. So how did you figure today was your birthday?"   
"Heh! That was Mikey's doing in a way. Once he discovered what a birthday was he drove us all mental pestering to know when we were gonna celebrate ours. We were still really young at the time, and he just wouldn't accept that no-body knew. So, in the end Splinter showed us the coffee can he'd kept us in when he first found us, trying to explain what had happened. The newspaper that Splinter had torn up to keep us warm was still inside, and Mikey dragged a piece out that had the date the paper was published on it; October third. I think Splinter thought it would just be easier to capitulate than continue trying to explain the truth. Mikey was pretty stubborn, even back then! So that became our 'birth date', and we've celebrated it ever since."

"Wow." Tausha exclaimed softly "You know, I still have trouble picturing you guys as 'normal' little turtles. I know Raph doesn't, but do you… ever regret it? Getting changed, I mean." She stepped back as Don swivelled his chair about to face her.   
"Heck no." he stated definitively "I don't think any of us do. Maybe, if we'd been caught from the wild or something, but I know we all used to have nightmares about being trapped in a little glass bowl."   
"Sorry." Tausha murmured. Don smiled again.   
"Don't be. It wasn't your doing. Besides, I don't think it really fazed us that much until we gained the intellect to interpret the memories and understand the concept of what we had been through. Bit of a Catch 22 really." he rubbed the back of his head with a diffident grin, Tausha returning it.   
"Well, I know it hasn't been easy for you all, but I'm glad you became what you are." Don smiled wider, his response curtailed by Splinters' door sliding open.

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"Hey April, let me give you a hand with all that!" Leo offered, dropping the cord he was supposed to be passing up to Don to race over to the elevator. His brothers quickly joined in helping cart the large number of bags and boxes April had been balancing over to the table.   
"Thanks guys! Here's all the paper plates, and other stuff you asked me for."   
"What's in here?" Mike asked excitedly, peering into a plastic bag containing a couple of large bundles wrapped in bright paper. Almost catching his beak as she snatched the bag closed April laughed,   
"Your presents of course!" she ignored his heart wrenching puppy dog look to continue "And you can just wait till Casey gets here to open them."   
"Awww."

"Where is Case?" asked Raph, looking around for his friend.   
"He's coming along later. I'm not too sure what he's up to, he just muttered something about 'upholding a tradition' before he left this morning. He did say he'd be here before the party started though." April shrugged "Doesn't matter, gives us a bit of time to get changed and ready, hey?" she grinned at Tausha.   
"Uh, yeah." Tausha agreed, a little hesitantly. April grabbed up a carpet bag, a long cardboard box and her hand bag.   
"You are going to let me try that thing with your hair aren't you? Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Heh, don't look at me like that! I promise this won't hurt a bit, ok? Have you got your dress ready to go?" Even with all her luggage April somehow managed to wrap an arm about the girls' shoulders, guiding her towards the bathroom.   
"Uh-huh. It's hung up in there already." Despite her agreement to the impending treatment Tausha still looked back at Raph, a clear request for a rescue in her eyes. All she got in return was a huge cheeky grin and a wave goodbye. She shot him back a look coolly expressing her 'thanks', along with a poke of her tongue before the door closed behind her.

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"Wow, that looks great, if I do say so myself!" April exclaimed, turning Tausha to and fro in front of the mirror to examine the French roll in her hair "Thanks for letting me try it out on you. With a bit of luck I'm hoping to have mine long enough to do something like that for… well… special occasions."

Tausha smiled timidly at her reflection for a moment, surprised herself at how sophisticated the hair-do and dress made her look. She hoped it wouldn't give any of the Turtles friends she hadn't met before today the wrong first impression of her! After a moment it clicked that April may have been referring to a specific event.   
"Anything coming up soon?" she probed gently. April sighed.   
"Probably not. I hate to admit it, but Casey was right about us not having the money to cover a wedding for a while. But it's ok; I still don't think I would have been happy paying for it with Huns' money. It just wouldn't seem right. And I really wasn't expecting Casey to be thinking along those lines already. I mean, I doubt he's even bothered looking for an engagement ring. It's not like he's actually asked me or anything yet!" They shared a brief, commiserate smile.

"I am sorry you didn't get the money though." Tausha offered. April laughed as she started pulling an impressive collection of make-up from her carpet bag and dumping it on the cabinet.   
"Don't be. Besides, it would have been a big help for you too. How are you going with saving for your trip home?" she asked, cupping Taushas' chin and giving her face a critical look over before searching through the pile of cosmetics.   
"Augh, not great." Tausha admitted "The guys already recycle pretty much everything they can anyway, so we haven't made much more than they normally would to get by on. Splinter's putting aside what he thinks they can spare though."

"Hmmm, I think this shade will suit you." April murmured absently, getting Tausha to sit in front of the mirror again so she could apply the colour to the girls' face as she continued "So how much have you saved so far?" Tausha tried to answer between pulling odd faces at Aprils' direction.   
"Splinter's only put aside $30.00 so far. He wants to be cautious about their savings, especially now they've got me to feed as well. He only wants to put aside what he's sure they can spare, because he doesn't want to have to draw on it; though he will if he feels the need to."   
"Oh, that isn't a lot. It's only been a couple of weeks though, so it should get better. Do you want me to cash in that necklace you gave me for safekeeping?" queried April.   
"Nah. I'd rather you keep it, in case the guys do ever need it. I haven't told Splinter about it. I tried to give him the money from the first two, but he insisted I keep it for myself, in lieu of getting any pocket money or anything. So I'm gonna save as much of that as I can too. And there's still the other two I've got, so I suppose I am part of the way there already. I was thinking of keeping those till I got back home though. At least I can change them for Aussie currency when I get there without having to worry about exchange commissions eating into it."

"There!" April announced with a flourish "All done, what do you think?"   
"Whoa…" Tausha whispered at the reflection she barely recognised.   
"Do you like it?" prompted April.   
"Uh, yeah; feels funny though." Tausha just stopped herself from rubbing her cheek, afraid she'd ruin Aprils' work.   
"Heh. I guess it does when you're not used to it. But don't worry, as soon as you discover boys you get used this stuff pretty quickly!" Turning to hunt through the pile of make up to select the ones she was going to use on herself April missed Tausha eyeing herself with dubious resignation in the mirror. It wasn't that she didn't look pretty; she just didn't look like herself.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Here's that scarf you wanted." April pulled the material out of her bag.   
"Great, thanks!" Tausha smiled, wrapping the light grey fabric around her shoulders, tying it loosely in the front.   
"I really don't think you need it though, that dress looks better without it." appraised April.   
"Heh, yeah, I guess it does. But I'm just a bit nervous about how some might react, and I'm sure the guys don't want a huge reminder of one of their enemies on show all night."   
"What do you mean 'how some might react'?" asked April, not looking away from the mirror as she applied her eye liner.   
"Well, you know, like Casey did." Tausha mumbled.   
"Oh. This probably sounds rotten coming from me, but honestly Casey is probably one of the weirdest guys the boys hang out with. If you can survive meeting him, you'll be fine coping with anyone else they can throw at ya!"

They shared a giggle for a moment.   
"I suppose you're right. How many other big, volatile guys do they know, huh?" Tausha asked rhetorically.   
"Not that many, unless you count Leatherhead, of course!" answered April with a grin. Her expression dimming a little as she realised Tausha didn't get the joke.   
"They have told you about Leatherhead, haven't they?" April asked.   
"Yeah. Raph said he was a cousin of theirs, or something like that…"

Putting the finishing touches on the decorations and other preparations around the lair the four turtles and Splinter all turned in surprise at the holler sounding from the bathroom.   
"He's a WHAT!"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: WARNING: Underage alcohol drinking depicted in the next few chapters! I didn't actually mean for this to happen to the extent it does (the legal drinking age in Oz is 18!), but after reading a few warnings on other fics regarding this issue I went digging and found out the legal drinking age is 21 in New York. Nyeh, I'm kinda guessing the 'getting blotto' for Birthdays from mid-teens onwards is a bit of a universal tradition anyway. Especially since all the laws I reviewed from around the world say underage drinking is alright, so long as it isn't in public and there is parental consent involved.

Many thanks once again to CPQ for beta-reading, and to Dragonfly Rider for the review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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The turtles didn't get a chance to react to the yell from the bathroom before Casey staggered into the lair from the elevator, a huge barrel on his shoulder, with Angel following behind carrying a couple of wooden supports.   
"Holy guacamole, Case! You brought a keg!" Mike cried in excitement, louder than the other exclamations from his brothers.   
"Yeah!" Casey managed to grunt, pointing desperately at the edge of the step for Angel to put down the supports for his load. Stepping in with a quick, "Hey Angel.", Leo took the wooden cradles, Don helping position them whilst Raph and Mike shared the load to lower the barrel into position.

"Whoa Case! Ya didn't have ta do this!" Raph beamed at his friend as Casey leaned heavily on the wood to get his breath back.   
"Yeah I did. Can't have you boys turning eighteen and remembering it now! That just goes against the laws of nature!" Leo joined in with the appreciative laughter of his brothers, though he forced himself to settle as he caught sight of Splinters' apprehensive expression.   
"I promise we'll be responsible and won't get too carried away, Master." assured Leo with a bow.   
"Speak for yourself, dude!" Mike blurted, sharing a quick, excited grin with his brother before Raph gave him a warning elbow jab to pay proper respect to their father. Splinter gained their attention with a raised finger.   
"Just remember, tomorrow you will be responsible for any consequences from your activities tonight. And that includes mopping the floors."

Splinters' serious tone did little to dampen Mikes' excitement, he practically danced on his toes in anticipation of what was to come. With a massive grin he turned to the girl stood beside Casey.   
"So, Angel! Long time, no see! What ya been up to lately huh?"   
"Hey, Mikey…!" As the group moved over to the lounge to await the other guests Casey and Raph brought up the rear.   
"Where's Ape?" Casey asked, noticing she wasn't in sight.   
"She an' Tau are still getting' ready." Raph explained, indicating the closed bathroom door with his thumb.   
"Ahhh." sighed Casey, rolling his eyes.

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Angel found herself wedged in the middle of the couch between Casey and Raph, Mike taking up more than just the arm rest sitting above his red clad brother. She didn't mind though. Raph was leaning forward, elbows on knees, taking an occasional gulp of his beer. They had already breached the keg, just to check the contents were alright. Each of the guys, except Splinter, was enjoying a large plastic cup of the stuff. Whilst Mike kept the rest of the group entertained, Angel was carrying on a fairly one sided conversation with Raph.

She always tried to keep a store of tales from the mean streets ready for when she got a chance to talk to Raph. He may not have seemed to be paying attention too much, but he still gave her a small laugh, comment or grin for each graphic skate board crash and try-hard hood come-uppance she described to him. She was grateful to all the turtles for the help they'd given her on occasion, but Raph had scared her a little at first. He was a true tough, he didn't need stupid tats or gang colours to prove it, you could tell from just looking at him. Even so, he always laughed at her stories and jokes. And that made her special, right? Not everyone made him laugh all the time, even his over-the-top brother!

"…so anyway, Dario gets himself loose and pelts down the alley. He manages to trip and fall face first in a pile of bags full of rotten fruit!"   
"Heh, sucker!"   
"Then, just as he makes it out of the alley, who should he run into but his Aunt. She went medieval on his butt for wrecking his jacket, in front of everyone! It was sooo funny!"   
"Hehehe."   
"Needless to say, he didn't make a great impression with the Scorpions. I don't think he'll be joinin' them anytime soon!" Angel glanced up expectantly, waiting for Raphs' response. It was pretty obvious she wasn't gonna get one. He was staring, slack-jawed, at something over behind Splinters' armchair.

"April! You look stunning!" Don exclaimed, the sentiment quickly endorsed by almost everyone else. Angel peered around Casey to see April smoothing the front of her bright floral dress, blushing slightly at the compliments. The low, sculptured neckline and calf-length skirt with a split travelling up to her right thigh made a fine show of her figure.   
"Oh, you guys!"

Stood just behind April was a girl Angel didn't recognise. Her dress was gunmetal grey, similar to the colour of her eyes. Despite the thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders and the way the material moulded to her curves, the square cut of her dress made it a bit more conservative than Aprils' outfit, ending just above her knees. And it was made more so by the light grey wrap covering her shoulders. Mike leapt off the end of the couch to approach the girl.

"What's this, Tau in a skirt? Never thought I'd see the day! You look awesome too babe!" Despite her deep blush she shoved a hand on his beak, pushing away the kiss he was about to plant on her cheek, though they were both giggling regardless.   
"Yeah? Well enjoy the view while ya can, Casanova, 'cos it's all you're gonna get!"   
"Awww!" Mike grinned back.   
"You do look good in a dress, Tau." Don interrupted.   
"Thank you." she mumbled, blushing again, as most of the group agreed with Dons' opinion.

'Crunkle'. The sound of plastic bending caught Angels' attention. Raph hadn't said a word since the girls had appeared; but from the look on his face, and the damage to his cup, he wasn't happy about something.   
"C'mon, you gotta meet Angel!" Mike insisted, pulling the girl over to the couch by her wrist.   
"Angel? Tausha. Tausha? Angel!" Mike made his thorough introductions, earning a resigned shake of Taushas' head as she extended her hand.   
"G'day."   
"Hi." responded Angel, with a small frown in confusion at the unusual greeting. Abruptly Raph stood, spilling the last of his drink slightly. With a quiet curse he dumped his cup on the coffee table, brusquely wiping the moisture off his hands on his thighs before he faced Tausha. Angels' frown deepened, why the heck did they both look so nervous?

"I…, I hope you don't mind…" started Tausha diffidently, self-consciously running her hand a short way down the front of her dress "it's the only dress I managed to grab." she half-shrugged with an awkward smile.   
"Uh, no. I don't mind. Why would I mind? I always thought that dress looked good on ya…" Raph trailed off uncertainly for a moment "This is new, though." he pointed to the scarf.   
"Yeah, well I didn't want to ruin tonight for you guys." she ran a hand up to her left shoulder "This is probably the last thing you and your friends want to see toni…"   
"Hey." Raph interrupted with a frown "You don't have anything to be ashamed of, ok?" he cupped her cheek, making her look back to meet his eyes "Ok?" he reiterated sternly.   
"Ok." she murmured, though she didn't sound too convincing.

With a low, short growl Raph grabbed the knot in the material, knocking her hands away as she protested.   
"What the hell do you think…?" Tausha demanded irately.   
"Takin' this off." Raph interjected, in a tone that didn't encourage an argument "If anyone has a problem with seeing it, I'll deal with 'em." He glared down at Casey briefly, before his head shot back up as Tausha whacked his hands away with enough force for the slap to be audible.   
"Bugger off! If I wanna wear it, I will!" She matched his scowl for a moment, turning away to fumble with the loosened knot.

"Ahem." Splinter, now stood at the other side of the table, interrupted Raph reaching to grab her back, or throttle her, it wasn't clear which; one hand up to ward off Leos' advance to intervene.   
"If I may say so, Tausha, I do believe Raphael is making a valid point; even if he is doing it in an inappropriate manner. I don't think you need fear any further reprisals from anyone regarding your tattoo. Apart from Casey, none of our family or friends has any real reason to resent you for it. And I believe Casey no longer has an issue with it regardless." Having the unspoken query in Splinters' arched eye brow aimed at him was enough to make Casey blurt,   
"Nah, 'course not! If yer willing to thump Hun over the head, you're alright by me!"

"I understand you are not proud of the image, but hiding it will not erase it. The sooner you come to accept it as a part of yourself, and realise it represents what _you_ wish it to, the better." Hesitantly Tausha finished what Raph had started with the knot and placed the material in Splinters' waiting outstretched hand.   
"Good. I also think the scarf did detract from the aesthetic of your dress. It is nicer without it." Splinter added with a warm smile. Tausha bowed slightly in thanks, not really knowing what to say. As she straightened Raph leaned over to whisper derisively,   
"See? And you do look better without it." Tausha shot him a glare, annoyed at him for rubbing it in; her look slowly softening to a shy half-smile.

"Hey, hey Ape!" Mike shattered the moment of peace "Now both you an' Case are here we can get on with the _really_ important stuff, huh? Can we? Huh?" he squirmed, glancing expectantly over to the bags tucked under the table.   
"Heh! Ok Mikey!" assured April, heading over to fetch the gifts.   
"Augh, I need another drink." murmured Raph, glancing at his crumpled cup before turning to Tausha "You want one?"   
"Yeah, sure. Thanks." replied Tausha with a shrug.   
"Can I have one too?" Angel pipped up, before Raph took more than a step away.   
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure…" answered Raph, heading over to the table himself for more cups.

Angel looked to the floor; hoping no-one had spotted the glower she'd sent Taushas' way as she'd taken Mikes' spot on the arm of the couch. There was something she had instantly disliked about the girl, and having her sat above her seemed like an insult. Maybe 'cos it was added to the injury Angel had felt when she spotted what Tausha had been trying to hide. These guys had all fought so hard to make sure she hadn't become Purple Dragon scum, and now here they were welcoming one into their midst! She couldn't help but wonder if they'd still be her friends if she _had_ joined. And if not, what made this chick so special that they accepted her regardless? Especially Raph; what was the deal there anyway? One moment he was fighting with the girl, the next he's off running errands for her? It just didn't seem right…

"Here you go." beamed April; handing Mike his present. He jigged with glee before dropping cross-legged on the floor to rip open the orange paper.   
"I hope you guys like 'em. I thought you could use something a little practical." April said, a little pointedly as she eyed Casey, handing out the rest of the parcels. Raph shoved the precariously balanced trio of cups at Tausha with an impatient "Here."   
"Thanks!" she smiled, taking one in each hand leaving him free to thrust the last at Angel as he plonked heavily back on the couch, grabbing the final gift April held out for him.

"OH! Friggin' AWESOME!" shouted Mike in delight, holding up a package of material wrapped in clear plastic. The 'Spiderman' movie logo emblazoned across the front of it. He didn't waste any time trying to tear through the thick plastic.   
"Bed sheets?" Leo asked quietly "New, clean sheets… of our own?" he looked at the two packages in his lap in awe. One set was plain, simple pale blue; the other featured a 'Superman' logo on the front.   
"Thank you, April. Thank you so much!" grinned Don, leaning over to give her a quick peck on the cheek.   
"You're welcome guys. You know it wasn't ju…"   
"How did you know 'X-men' was one of my favourite comics?" Don asked, too distracted to realise he'd spoken over what April had been saying.   
"Well I was just going to say, that Tau helped with that. I was going to get you two plain sets to start off with; one cream and one you're favourite colour. But I thought that would be a bit too boring, so Tau came up with the idea for this."

Leaping up with his doona cover tied around his shoulders like a cape, his favourite hero climbing up his back upon it, Mike clutched April in a fierce bear hug.   
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Releasing his first victim he leapt over the coffee table to clasp Tausha next, repeating his mantra.   
"Arrgh! Get off me ya lug!" she giggled "I only helped a little with an idea… it was still April and Casey that got 'em for ya."   
"Yeah! But it was a great idea!" Mike enthused, crushing her harder.   
"Uurgh…" groaned Tausha, lolling her head back dramatically, her grin ruining the act.

"Mike! Let her go!" snapped Raph. Stepping back to splay his hands in cheeky innocence Mike drawled,   
"What?"   
"You're, ah… gonna spill my beer, moron!" grumbled Raph, rescuing the cup Tausha was holding over his lap and downing half its contents.   
"I'm glad ya like 'em…" mumbled Tausha; sobering quickly "I'm afraid I couldn't really get you anything myself…" she trailed off, inspecting the contents of her own cup. With a laugh Mike grabbed her, chin and forehead, smacking a quick, noisy kiss to her cheek.   
"Don't sweat it, babe!" he assured before launching himself at Casey "Thanks so much, dude!" Casey didn't get to answer as Mikes' arm squished his throat.

Angel grimaced in disgust, flicking the edge of Mikes' cape off her jeans. At least Raph didn't seem too excited about this rubbish. He was just sat looking at the stack on his lap over his cup, one hand resting under the picture of the 'Batmobile,' the 'Dark Knight' swooping down from above it. He waited until his brothers had finished their thanks before leaving his bundle on his seat to show his appreciation to Casey with a rough noogie, and a gentle hug for April.

Returning to the couch Raph didn't sit straight away. Standing awkwardly in front of Tausha he mumbled with a bashful smile,   
"Thanks. They are kinda cool…" Despite shaking her head slightly Tausha's warm grin didn't falter until she heard Angel scoff.   
"C'mon Raph! You can't tell me _you_ like this kiddies stuff?" With a grimace Raphs' face matched his bandana as he inspected his toes.   
"Ah, well… I guess I did kinda grow outta comics an' stuff years ago…" Angel couldn't help a smirk as Tausha, crestfallen; suddenly found her empty cup engrossing.   
"Sorry…" she murmured.   
"Don't be." interrupted Splinter "A wise man strives for maturity of mind, whilst staying young at heart." Don slapped a hand over Mikes' mouth to quell the inevitable comment concerning Raphs' wisdom, or lack thereof.   
"Uh, yeah! What he said!" Raph pointed to his father without turning, a slight note of desperation in his voice "I do think it's kinda cool still. I mean, Batman always was the greatest! No matter what anyone else might say…" he did turn briefly at that to glare evilly at Mike "But, really, thanks…, hey?"

Raph worriedly searched Tausha's face until she looked up with a small smile, his own face lighting up in relief.   
"Heh, it's ok. Like I said, you shouldn't be thanking me, it was just an idea… it's alright if you don't like it." she shrugged. Crooking his finger under her chin to lift it Raph looked her straight in the eye.   
"I do, alright?" they shared a goofy grin as she nodded, Raph gently taking her cup "I'll get ya a refill, 'k?"   
"Sure."

"I did get you guys something a little fun as well. Though I'm afraid you're gonna have to share it." announced April, fishing out a smaller package. Already having his arm around Mikes' head gave Don the advantage in the brief struggle between the two to grab it, though he still offered Mike one half to rip open.   
"OH! Brilliant! It's the 'Lord of the Rings' Collectors' Edition!" enthused Don, proudly holding the box out for Leo to grin hugely at.   
"Cool!" squealed Mike, promptly leaping about chanting "Movie night! Movie night!" until he almost tripped over his cape as it came loose.   
"Surely not tonight, Michelangelo?" queried Splinter with a smile.   
"Nah, but there's always tomorrow!" answered Mike excitedly.   
"Hmm, we'll see. For now I suggest you all place your gifts away somewhere safe for the evening." he suggested, helping Mike to gather his strewn sheets off the floor.

Splinter was resignedly carrying the large pile of sheets, thankfully most still in their packaging, to his room as the turtles finished thanking April once more. Raph was just giving her a light kiss on the cheek as the elevator opened. What seemed to be two mutants, one a white rabbit, the other a rhino carrying a large satchel, both in Japanese style clothing, stepped into the lair.   
"Usagi-san! Gen-san!" called Leo in greeting as all the turtles rushed over to greet the new-comers, quickly bringing them over to the lounge to make introductions. Splinter had managed to resume his seat, after greeting the two himself, before Usagi fetched an ornately crafted wooden box out of Gens' bag and placed it in Leos' hands.   
"I don't know if it is the same here, but in our world it is traditional to offer gifts on such auspicious occasions. This is for all of you, Leo-san."

Leo paused for just a moment for his brothers to crowd around before he lifted the lid. Mikes' grin froze in confusion as the box was opened, though Leo immediately gave a gasp in appreciation. Inside were two thin ceramic bottles, one at each side. Nestled in a bed of material between them were nine tiny ceramic dishes with small stands on their bases. They weren't perfectly round; each had a small indent on one side. The whole set was glazed in emerald green.   
"Domo arigato gosei-masu." Leo thanked his friend in formal Japanese as he bowed deeply.   
"Yeah. They're really pretty. But, like, what're they for?" Mikes' query earned him a disapproving frown from Leo, though Gen answered for him as he dumped an open-topped crate containing six large ceramic jars on the coffee table.   
"This! The best saki you'll ever get to taste!"   
"Oh man, this _is_ gonna be a good night!" grinned Raph.

Splinter closed his eyes in appreciation of the rice wine he sipped as Casey sputtered on his.   
"Gees, I thought it was a bit of cheek that the cups were so small, but now I know why!" he exclaimed, rubbing his mouth on his sleeve.   
"Wuss!" teased Raph, tossing back his third dishful.   
"You are supposed to sip it Raph, to appreciate the taste." Leo admonished.   
"I do appreciate it, the aftertaste anyway!" Gen laughed and lifted his dish in agreement before downing his fourth drink in a gulp.

The amiable conversation was disturbed a few minutes later by the door to the tunnels opening. Again the turtles rushed to greet their friends, both Angel and Tausha standing to be introduced. The huge mutant that entered commanded that kind of innate respect, or at least the need to be ready to run. Tausha made a mental to note to thank April profusely for giving her some warning about this, though the brief annoyance she felt at Raphs' failure to do so dissipated at the reassuring feel of his hand on the small of her back.

Tausha couldn't help thinking of the song she had sung with her mother as a child.   
"_Never smile at a crocodile…_" but she figured that didn't apply where the croc could take offence if you didn't return the show of teeth. Steeling herself to return Leatherheads' firm handshake she found herself pleasantly surprised at his politeness; though she was still a little relieved when he stepped back to allow the mechanoid that had accompanied him to the fore.   
"So this is Tausha." exclaimed Professor Honeycutt, clasping her hand "We have heard a lot about you from Donatello and Splinter over the last few weeks."   
"Oh!" Tausha, a little surprised, searched for a moment for something to say "I hope it wasn't all bad… I can be good on occasion!" she grinned awkwardly.   
"Not to worry my dear." assured the Professor, patting her hand gently "I understand you have a keen interest in the natural world, and Donatello believes you have a good mind for science. I have a theory regarding the evolution of the vertebrate species on this planet and I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on it."   
"Sure." Tausha shrugged "Though I'm not really a scientist or anything…"

Raph looked a little lost as Tausha wandered off, engrossed in her conversation with the Professor.   
"Hey Raph, would you like another beer?" Angel offered.   
"Huh? Yeah…" the huge smile and clasp on his arm she gave him before she raced off baffled him. An odd distortion in the air above the dojo quickly put it out of his mind.   
"Heads up guys!" he yelled in warning, drawing his sai. His family and friends quickly followed suite; falling into a defensive line, weapons at the ready. Professor Honeycutt ushering the three girls back towards the kitchen for safety, despite their reluctance to go.

The distortion increased, luminescent blue bubbles of energy appearing from nowhere until a flash of bright light caused everyone to shield their eyes as something fell the six feet to the stone floor; the usual mats had been packed away for tonight. Raph started a charge towards the intruder as the light quickly faded, his battle cry petering out as a tall girl dressed in a blue bodysuit covered in clocks picked herself up off the ground, righting her hat before promptly tripping on her over-long cape, falling against Raph and knocking them both to the floor.

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that…" the new arrival apologised as she tried awkwardly to crawl off Raphs' chest.   
"Renet, are you OK!" exclaimed Mike, giving her a hand to stand up "What are you doin' here?"   
"Renet?" interrupted Raph harshly "Get the hell off me, urk!" he gurgled as she accidentally stepped on his throat.   
"Sorry! Sorry!" she uttered again quickly before grinning at Mike "Well, I've been studying really hard lately, and I passed my 'Trans-temporal Manifestations' exam on the first go! So Lord Simultaneous actually gave me a night off, for once! So, like, I checked in the 'bauble of prophecy' and spotted a high probability of you guys having an awesome party tonight…"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm not hugely happy with this chapter, but stuck for ways to improve it. I'm mainly worried that I've gotten Angel OOC towards the end. So-o-o-o, grab your red pens everyone and set to picking this chapter to bits! Seriously, any thoughts on this one will be hugely appreciated, especially the bad an' ugly ones! Though if you do have something good to say about it ya can chuck that in too! lol!

In case anyone's wondering I haven't seen any of the episodes from the toon with Renet, so she's based on her first appearance in the Mirage comics in this. I get the feeling she's a little less ditzy in the toon.

Many thanks once again to CPQ for beta-reading, and to The REAL Cheese Monkey and The Incredible Dancing Betty for the reviews!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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"We have babes an' beer, all we need now is the cake an' the music!" announced Mike, once everyone had been introduced and Renet finally exhausted her monologue, briefly at least. Leaping up he raced into the kitchen, Leo turning out the main lights as everyone gathered in the dining area. The table was already burdened with a huge assortment of food and snacks, though a large space at one end had been left clear.

Mike quickly appeared back in the doorway, carrying a huge rectangular cake. It was easily six inches tall; coated in white icing with green pipped around the top edge and down the corners. On top of the cake the phrase '_Happy Eighteenth Birthday!_' was written in more green icing, above four smiling portraits created using different coloured marzipan. As a final touch a small green candle shone on each corner; from the amount of dried wax gathered down the side of each they had obviously been used before.

"Don't forget to make a wish!" reminded Mike before the group broke into song. Raph paused for a moment at the end of the discordant chorus before joining his brothers in blowing out his candle.   
"You ok?" asked Tausha, resting a hand on his shoulder, a little concerned he was still recovering from Renets' landing.   
"Yeah." he smiled back, wrapping an arm about her waist to give her friendly, side-long hug, though Tausha found herself caught by the intensity of his gaze for a moment. The look was broken as Angel affably punched his opposite shoulder.   
"Happy birthday, big boy!" she grinned brightly.   
"Uh? Yeah…, thanks." he smiled back distractedly, not sure where to look as Tausha stepped away to allow others to get to the table.

---------- ----------

Splinter was sat on the top step of the stairs leading to the second level, a small bottle of saki to one side and plate full of crumbs on his lap. He had chosen this seat as it still gave a good view of the lair whilst being as far from the blaring speakers and bright, flickering lights as possible. It never ceased to amaze him that, in recent years, his boys had managed to find more good friends and more extravagant ways to celebrate this day each time it came to pass. With a melancholy smile he realised his boys were doing the inevitable; growing up.

Watching the interactions below Splinter felt a little conflicted. Proud his sons had found such a good group to support them; with none of them really left wanting for attention from the girls as most seemed happy to move about the dance floor the dojo had become, sharing friendly hugs and laughter with all. Only Angel was a little hesitant, tending to hang back near the couch until she was dragged into the fray for a tune or two before retreating again.

However, with such attention came temptation. Whilst Splinter would never begrudge his sons the opportunity for a close, caring relationship, he did worry they would simply become frustrated more than anything else. Friendship was one thing; was there really a chance of his sons finding more? Would it cause friction if only one or two managed to do so? And what if one did achieve such a connection with a girl, only to find they were physically incompatible regardless? That was the possibility Splinter dreaded the most, if only for the emotional devastation such an occurrence would wreak on any of his sons...

"Ah, you have found a spot that's relatively insulated from the assault on the senses here. Do you mind if I join you?" Professor Honeycutt interrupted Splinters' musings, as he ascended the stairs.   
"Of course not, my friend." Splinter assured, shifting his tail to make room on the step beside him.   
"I fear my auditory receptors will require a recalibration tomorrow!" lamented Honeycutt as he sat. Splinter nodded in agreement, wondering himself if the driving beat and synthesisers that every tune seemed to emulate would ever cease ringing between his ears after tonight.

They watched the commotion beneath them for a few minutes. Mike, managing to leave Renet talking with a slightly befuddled looking Gen, cavorted his way over to Angel to drag her back onto the dance floor. Usagi and Leatherhead were engaged in conversation over by the table, snacking on more cake. Raph and Casey started some friendly fisticuffs, seemingly over who got to dance with April next; if they had bothered looking for an excuse at all. Splinter chuckled as he noticed April turn her back on the ruffians, rolling her eyes resignedly, to join the trio dancing behind her.

Before April joined them the three had been positioned in a loose triangle, happily chatting as they danced. However, Don soon took the opportunity to pair off with April, leaving Leo and Tausha together. They didn't touch until Tausha grasped Leos' shoulder, preventing him from leaving to break up the tussle between Casey and Raph. After a moment of earnest discussion Leo nodded resignedly, Tausha giving his arm a quick knead as they started to move in harmony again.

"I don't suppose we can hold any hope that they will tire of this shortly?" Honeycutt queried, tongue in cheek.   
"I am afraid not." confirmed Splinter "I doubt any of us will get much sleep tonight. I only hope I am not too fatigued to see the lighter side things in the morning. I must confess I am dreading the state the lair, and most likely my sons, will be in by then." he admitted with a wry smile.   
"Whilst I am grateful for the invitation tonight, I'm not sure my circuits can take much more. I hope you and your boys won't be offended if I return home shortly. I will come back to help with the recovery operation, and to fetch Leatherhead, in the morning."   
"Not at all, my friend! That actually sounds like a good course of action. However, please don't feel you are obligated to assist with cleaning the lair tomorrow. That responsibility belongs to my sons. The difficulty will be in ensuring they are willing, and able, to fulfil the task."   
"You are welcome to join me, if you wish." invited Honeycutt "At least you would have some peace and quiet this evening, though I will understand if you do not wish to leave. This is an important event for your family, and I can appreciate you feel the need to watch over your sons."

Splinter pondered for a moment. "Perhaps it is time I let go. My sons have proven themselves capable time and again over the past few years. If I cannot leave them to enjoy such a night in the company of trusted friends…"

---------- ----------

"Alright." Leo turned to address his brothers sternly after the door to the tunnels had closed behind Splinter and the Professor "I hope you understand that this means Splinter trusts us to be responsible. I don't want to find anyone floating face down in the pool in the morning or anything like that. So _don't_ do anything stupid!" He waited, hands on hips for agreement from his siblings.

The three shared a mischievous look before rushing their brother. Mike distracted him by crunching his half-full cup of beer upside down on Leos' head.   
"Arrgh! Let go! I've gotta go wash this off!" protested Leo, desperately wiping his eyes clear of the drink to see where his brothers were carrying him.   
"Don't worry Leo, we've got ya covered!" grinned Don. Leo realised his fate a second before it occurred.   
"NOO! DON'T…"   
'SPLOOSH!'

Coughing and spluttering Leo surfaced in the pool, ready to give his dear brothers the lecture of a lifetime. The sound of fierce yells from his family made him look up in shock, just in time to duck back under the water to avoid being landed on as Raph and Mike grabbed Don and launched themselves shell first into the water.

"Heh! I think that was a hint for ya to lighten up, Leo!" laughed Casey as he and Usagi helped their sopping friend from the pool. Leo answered with a dark look, too mortified by the grins and slowly shaking heads of the others stood around to bother with his lecture just now.

Tausha braved the wet floor to stand, arms crossed, above Raph and Mike as they hauled themselves out of the water; prudently not offering a hand to help.   
"Idiots." she admonished with a grin and shake of her head. Luckily she managed to read the evil grin they shared, gaining a good head start with a shriek. Despite that only a few seconds passed before she was grappled to the floor by over 300 pounds of soggy, laughing turtles.

---------- ----------

Tausha made her way over to sit heavily on the step, between Angel and the keg, the colour in her cheeks caused by more than just her exertions on the dance floor.   
"Augh! These shoes are killin' me." she muttered, slipping off her high heels with a grimace "At least I'm dry now… s'pose I should be thankful for that! Darn lugs!"   
"So…, how did you meet these guys?" Angel asked over the top of her cup of cola. Tausha looked up from rubbing her ankles with a smile.   
"I had a run-in with Raph. Guess I'm kinda lucky I survived the first few times we met. Damn glad of it now though, he's a great friend. I dread to think where I'd be if he hadn't convinced his family to let me stay here. You ok?" Tausha asked as Angel coughed wetly after taking a drink.   
"Yeah. You say you're living here?" asked Angel incredulously.   
"Yeah." grinned Tausha before her look turned a little melancholy "For now anyway."

"Oh. So you're moving out." Angel confirmed bluntly "For a moment there I thought you meant you were living with 'em. You know, like a girlfriend. You an'… Mike seem pretty close." Tausha tried to suppress a giggle.   
"Mike? Nah. He's a great friend too! Love 'im to bits, but I think I'd end up killin' 'im if he were my boyfriend."   
"You do flirt with him a lot, I've seen ya." Angel pointed out brusquely.   
"Heh, yeah. It's just in good fun though. He knows as well as I do it aint gonna lead anywhere. 's funny, but that's probably part of the reason we take it so far! I'm only stayin' here till I can get home. Knowing I'm gonna be leaving the country as soon as I can, I don't think gettin' a boyfriend would be a smart move just now."

Angel nodded sagely, digesting the facts as Tausha stretched her arms and legs out in front of her with a groan.   
"What's the deal with you an' Raph, then?" asked Angel guardedly as Tausha relaxed.   
"Huh? Oh…, he's like my best friend. I find it really easy to talk to most of the guys. But with Raph, we can talk about anything really!"   
"D'ya make him laugh?" Tausha paused, her smile slowly dissolving to give Angel a quizzical look.   
"Sometimes." she answered slowly "Though I think I've made him cry sometimes too…"

"What's your deal with Raph?" Tausha asked cautiously after a long moment of thought. Angel grinned smugly.   
"He's one of my best friends too, we talk heaps, but _I've_ never hurt him." she stated definitively.   
"Oh…, I'm… glad to hear that." admitted Tausha uncertainly before she stood.   
"I think I need another beer. Do ya want one?" she asked a little too brightly.   
"Nah. I'm good with this, thanks." answered Angel, holding up her cola. With a nod Tausha bent over to fill her cup from the spigot.

"She's got le-e-egs…" Mike tried to imitate ZZ-top, off key, as he and Raph approached the keg. Tausha straightened abruptly, tugging on the bottom of her skirt in embarrassment as Mike giggled. His mirth shared by his brother for a moment, before it was cut off by a sharp elbow in his side.   
"Ow, Raph!"

"How ya holdin' up?" Raph asked Tausha, after filling his own cup; joining her stood to one side as the extra colour slowly left her face.   
"Yeah, fine thanks. I just hate wearing heels an' stuff, can't run fast enough in 'em!" her tone carried a note of reproach despite her smile. Raph managed a slightly contrite grin, Mike cutting off anything he might have said as he bounced up beside them.   
"Hey guys, finally got a chance to chat to ya both without 'fearless' overhearin'. I've been wonderin', when the heck did _you_ get to see Tau in that dress before, bro?" Both Raph and Tau eyed him askance for a moment, before sharing the look.   
"Uh…, why do ya need to ask us both that?" queried Tausha.   
"Heh! 'Cos I know with you here I have a chance at getting some kinda answer! So c'mon, spill it." Mike grinned wider at their darkening glares "You don't want me comin' to my own conclusions and sharin' 'em with everyone, now do ya?"

"I can think of one way ta shut ya up!" Raph growled. Tausha sighed resignedly, grabbing Raph by the arm to stop him approaching Mike any further.   
"Hehehe! So I am right, you _have_ got somethin' ta hide!" Mike giggled, stepping back out of harms' way.   
"NO!" protested Raph "It's just none of your damn business!"   
"Hey, it's not that big a deal; is it?" Tausha asked Raph seriously, moving to stand partly in front of him to gain his attention and halt his advance on his brother.   
"I guess not…" Raph muttered, dropping his fist; though he still treated Mike to an evil glower.

Tausha searched Raphs' face with an uncertain smile, waiting till he nodded slightly to turn back to Mike.   
"It was months ago, the second time we met. We weren't even friends then. Heck, I hadn't even realised he was a turtle!"   
"You hadn't?" Raph asked in disbelief. Tausha shrugged, with an apologetic grin.   
"I hadn't gotten a real look at ya at that point. I thought you were just another street thug. Heh, when I think about it I can still feel the point of your sai." she rubbed the side of her neck absently "I seriously thought I was a goner that night!"   
"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Mike patted the air to interrupt the odd expression Raph and Tau were sharing "You threatened her?"   
"Yeah…, well she still had my damn sai that she'd stol…, ah…" the dark look and raised eyebrow from Tau was enough to make him rethink "um…, 'borrowed'. Heh?" he grinned hopefully. Tausha accepted the revision with a grudging smile.

"So you see, Mike? Nothing to hide." she turned back to Raph with a genuine smile this time "Though I'm glad you don't mind me wearing this again, given the circumstances last time."   
"I'll say!" Mike exclaimed 'You do look hot in it! Heh, so even Raphie-boy can think an 'enemy' can look sweet? You did say that you _always_ thought she looked good in that outfit, didn't ya?" teased Mike, the vivid blush he got from both serving to egg him on further "Though I'd say the rest of us have caught up with ya in 'enjoying the view', bro!"

Mike had already tensed, ready to leap out of range of the bloody murder his brothers' eyes were promising. However, Tausha surprised them both by turning to Mike with a dirty grin of her own.   
"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" she said whimsically, sharing a cheeky, conspiratorial smile with Raph as Mike misinterpreted her statement as she'd expected; the 'thunk' almost audible as his jaw hit the floor. Raphs' anger was quickly usurped by smug satisfaction at seeing Mike lost for words, for once.   
"Are…, are you sayin'… he's seen you… naked?" Mike finally whispered, his voice lost under the beat that was still pounding from the speakers. However, his meaning was easily read from his lips and bug-eyed expression. Raph beamed at Mike, he'd figured what Tau was actually referring to, but was enjoying having his brother gape at him in awe. From her massive grin it was clear Tau was having fun with this too.

"You lucky, little…!" Mike was lost, searching for the right insult, when to Raphs' disappointment Tau decided to explain.   
"Heh heh. I didn't say I was na…"   
"You lying bitch!" accused Angel with vitriol; she'd risen from sitting on the step. With a snarl she threw her cup of soda at Tausha before storming off towards the kitchen. With a quick side-step Raph hooked an arm around Tau, blocking the cup and the worst of the splatter with his shell.

"What the hell was that about?" he growled, glaring after Angel. Tausha stopped him stalking after the girl with a strong hand on his arm.   
"Wait! It was my fault, I should have realised…"   
"What? She threw a damn cup at you. How the hell is that your fault?" Raph demanded shortly.   
"It's because I was… flirting with you guys. I think she… likes you." Tau mumbled hesitantly. Raph frowned, confusion adding to his anger.   
"Of course she does, she's a friggin' friend…" Tausha rolled her eyes.   
"No. I mean she '_likes_' you."

Raph looked at Tausha blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.   
"Yeah right! She may do some stupid stuff every now an' then, but she's not _that_ nuts!" he wiped his eyes, recovering quickly from his mirth as he noticed Taushas' sour expression.   
"What?" he demanded.   
"If you don't believe me why don't you go in there and ask her yourself?" challenged Tau, arms crossed.   
"I'll be going in there alright…" threatened Raph, reaching back to ineffectively wipe the sticky mess from his shell, a chill dribble running down the back of his calf reminding him of it.

Tausha pulled him back from stalking off again, her earnest look silencing his protest.   
"Don't be angry with her. And if… just know whatever happens, it's ok by me." she said quietly.   
"Huh?"   
"Just go in there and _talk_ to her, and be _nice_!" Tausha ordered sternly. Raph grimaced, perplexed, before making his way over to the kitchen door whilst muttering evil things concerning the dubious sanity of females. Mike had watched the entire exchange with interest, and he noticed Taushas' lip tremble slightly before her face set in a stoic mask as Raph turned back. Tausha firmly pointed his way through the door mouthing 'Nice'. Shaking his head Raph followed her direction.

As soon as his brother disappeared Mike saw Taushas' mask slip as she gazed forlornly at the empty kitchen doorway.   
"You ok?" he asked gently, slipping an arm about her shoulders. Taushas' sudden over bright smile didn't reach her eyes.   
"Yeah! 'course! Why wouldn't I be?"   
"Well, I just didn't think you'd be too happy if he got together with Angel."   
"He's my best friend Mike. I couldn't very well say that if I was willing to stand in the way of…" Tausha faltered as her voice cracked slightly, Mikes' sympathetic expression proving he wasn't buying her performance at all. With a ragged sigh Tausha settled for burying her face on Mikes' shoulder, grateful for the gentle hug he gave in return.

"Is everything ok?" asked Leo as he approached. Taushas' head shot up, giving Leo an embarrassed grin as she knuckled her eyes.   
"Yeah." Mike assured "She's just a bit tired, that's all. Hey?" Tausha nodded in agreement.   
"Oh. Alright th…, ugh! What's happened here?" Leo grimaced as he extracted his foot from the sticky pool of cola on the floor.   
"Heh! Angel had a little accident. She and Raph are fetching some stuff to clean it up now." Leo shot his brother a dubious look. He didn't get to voice his suspicions over such unusual behaviour from Raph as Renet lurched into him.   
"Teehehe, I love beer! C'n I have another one?" Renet giggled, shoving a crumpled cup against Leos' chest.   
"Don't you think you've had enough?" Leo asked coolly.   
"Uh uh." Renet shook her head vigorously "Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar an' almonds' an' sprinkles an'…" Conceding in the hope of ending the tirade Leo filled two fresh cups, handing one to Renet. He succeeded in gaining a moment of quiet as she took a gulp.   
"So, Donnie told me you would know when you guys are heading to the beach next. I'd soooo love to go to the beach! Could I come with sometime, huh, huh? Pleeaase…"

Mike giggled as Leo sighed in exasperation and walked off, Renet in tow. However, his face fell back into concern at Taushas' unusual expression. He seriously couldn't tell if she were about to laugh or cry.   
"D'ya know what we need now?" he prompted with a light squeeze of his arm still about her shoulders. Tausha shook her head.   
"Cake and saki!" Mike grinned cajolingly, glad she laughed lightly as she nodded. Mike guided Tausha up the step and over to the couch before dashing off to grab the dessert as quick as he could.

Settling on the sofa next to her, he handed over a huge slab of cake before refilling the saki cup she'd just emptied. They sat in silence for a moment, until Mike _had_ to ask,   
"So…, has he really seen you naked?" Tausha eyed him in surprise, her fork still wedged in the side of her mouth. Slowly she finished her mouthful before giving a small, humourless laugh.   
"No. I have shown him most of my tat though." she admitted quietly. Mike sighed hugely in relief.   
"Heh, knew it! He's still a lucky, little… deceitful snot! Ya know, _he'd_ be telling me you've kissed him next!" Mike speculated with a cheeky gleam in his eye. Tausha laughed uncertainly before downing her drink and becoming hugely engrossed in eating her cake.

---------- ----------

Raph stalked through the door; slowing as he spotted Angel hunched facing the far corner, and at the grainy feeling of the sugar and flour scattered liberally under his feet. Picking his way cautiously, so as not to step in anything worse, he made his way over to stand behind the girl.   
"So what's your problem?" he asked, trying not to sound too gruff. Angel half-turned to treat him to a filthy look.   
"Like you don't know." she pouted sarcastically, turning her back on him again. Raph snarled silently, his hands already responding to his urge to throttle the girl. Remembering what Tausha had ordered he forced himself to take a deep breath and relax.   
'Nice. Gotta be nice… why do I gotta be nice?' he thought to himself. His confusion clearly showing itself on his face he hesitantly asked,   
"Do you… 'like'… me, or somethin'?"

Raphs' frown deepened as he started to think she was just gonna ignore him, when she shocked him by spinning and planting a hard kiss on his lips. His first reaction was to jerk his head back, but her arms instantly wrapping about his neck in a fierce grip prevented that from breaking the contact. His brain reeling in shock his body responded to a deeper instinct, based far from his head.

Gently grasping her shoulders he returned the kiss, the tingling in his gut turning to heat and the start of an uncomfortable sensation of pressure that had become all too familiar lately. Gradually his brain recovered, though it still seemed dazed. The most coherent thoughts it was producing ran along the lines of 'this could be bad, or this could be good…'. However, his final verdict was cinched by the feeling in his chest. It was weird; whenever he'd kissed, hugged or heck even looked at Tau the heat he felt had burnt its way up to his chest. This time it stayed localised below his abs, leaving him feeling strangely hollow within his ribs.

Gripping Angels' shoulders tightly he managed to extradite himself from the kiss.   
"Does that answer your question?" she asked cheekily.   
"Uh huh. Look, I'm sorry, but… this aint gonna happen." he stated, part of him mirroring the confusion in Angels' eyes at his refusal.   
"Why not? You got someone else?" demanded Angel, her fingers digging into the top of his shoulders.   
"Ah, no. It…, it's kinda hard to explain… And besides, you're still a kid!" he blurted, relieved his brain was finally helping him out.   
"No I'm not!" seethed Angel "I'm gonna be fifteen next year! And all my friends have boyfriends anyway." she glowered. Raph took a step back, grasping her wrists to hold her away slightly. He'd known she was young, that was part of the reason he hadn't suspected she'd felt this way at all; but that young? The revelation was an effective cold shower.

Starting to feel anxious Angel tried a different tack, smiling coyly.   
"I know you liked it. And you know you're not gonna get many chances like this. So what's the problem, huh? You are a man under that shell, aren't ya?" she teased.   
"Yeah!" Raph snapped "Uh, well I am male…, but that doesn't change the fact you're a kid. Do you even know what you're talking about?"   
"Yep." purred Angel, stepping closer "Or at least, I could find out about it with you…"   
"Uh uh, no way!" Raph jumped back, almost losing his footing on a greasy patch of the floor.   
"Then why did you kiss me?" demanded Angel angrily.   
"What? You kissed me!" protested Raph, too busy trying to figure what he'd just stepped in to evade the stinging slap Angel dealt his cheek before she stormed past him.

Mike and Tausha watched Angel stalk past, heading straight for the elevator. As soon as the door closed behind the girl Tausha made her way over to peer into the kitchen, just as Raph made it to the entry nursing his assaulted cheek.   
"You ok?" she asked, softly touching the back of his hand resting on his face.   
"Yeah." he assured with a doleful look "I don't think it's gonna work with Angel." Tausha tried to give a sympathetic smile, though it was a little too wide to be convincing.   
"I need a drink." muttered Raph with an uncertain grin.   
"Me too." agreed Tausha, nodding a little too vigorously.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: WARNING: There are some 'stronger adult themes' in this chapter than those that have been covered in this series previously. I don't think it contains anything that pushes it out of the 'M' rating, but I feel a heads up is in order regardless. As always, if you disagree with the rating, or anything else, feel free to let me know.

A huge thankyou to CPQ for beta-reading; and to The Incredible Dancing Betty, The REAL Cheese Monkey and Dragonfly Rider for the reviews!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Raph managed to crack open an eye, quickly shutting it against the sharp assault the light made upon it. He lay still, waiting for his wits to gather themselves and slowly report on the status of the rest of him. It was pretty much what he'd expected.

His brain was attempting to kick its way out of the front of his skull to escape. His stomach was flashing a red light warning that Mikes' cake had better taste as good coming up as it had going down. A cotton wool factory had set up residence in his mouth, though his lips felt strangely waxy as he worked them in a vain attempt to encourage some moisture in his mouth; and every muscle was threatening dire consequences if he tried to move at all. Not that he was really tempted to. For some reason he also felt snugly warm and comfy just where he was.

Slowly he dared to open his eyes again, managing to focus past his slightly askew bandanna on his two sai glinting on the small bedside table under the glow from the lamp. At least he hadn't misplaced them this time. He gave in to the demands from his stinging eyes to rest them a little longer, his brow furrowing after a moment. How could he see his sai without sitting up at all? His desk doubled as his bedside table, was lower than his hammock, and the canvas of his bed partially blocked the view regardless.

His eyes flickering open he tried to look about the relatively bare, unfamiliar room. That was when he realised he couldn't move his head, downward at least. It was blocked by something. A solid something, covered in hair, wedged under his chin. His mind picked that moment to compute he was so warm due to the limbs entwined with his own, and the feel of someone hugged tightly against his plastron.

He felt a moment of pure panic.   
'Don't let it be Renet. Dear God _anybody_ but Renet! Please?' he silently, desperately prayed. He slowly lifted his head so as not to disturb the 'someone', and in deference to the violent protests from his skull. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised it was Tau he was embracing, snuggled in her single bed. He couldn't help a goofy grin as he relaxed carefully back on the pillow, breathing deep to savour the faint apple scent her hair always seemed to have.

His grin slowly faded as the possible ramifications of the situation coalesced in his mind. How had they ended up like this? Did anyone else know? He grimaced as he racked his addled brain for answers that he just couldn't find. He remembered leaving the kitchen; sitting on the couch talking with Tau for a while as they managed to put a good dent in one of the large jars of saki. Things were a little hazy from that point.

They had returned to the dance floor, back to the beer again. Especially as Renet managed to snag him for what had felt like forever, though he had no idea what she'd been giggling and going on about. After that there were only a few disjointed memories. Leatherhead looking thoroughly confused as Don seriously insisted the answer was '42'; the real problem was the question. Relief as Tau said something to Renet to get her to leave him in peace and go bug Mike instead. Doubling over with laughter at Leo falling on his butt trying to show Usagi a new kata he'd developed, that obviously required a greater sense of balance than the amount of alcohol his brother had consumed allowed. Another of a close hug he'd shared with Tau in the shadows under the stairs.

He groaned lightly in frustration, but no matter how he tried he couldn't recall anything else. Least of all the answer to the most important query; what had they done? They hadn't…, had they? Given they were tucked under the covers of Taus' bed, wrapped in each others arms with his right leg tucked between hers, he figured the evidence was leaning towards the affirmative. He sighed in exasperation.   
"Friggin' typical." he muttered in quiet anguish "Trust me not to remember it!"

"Hmmm?" Tausha stirred, nuzzling her face slightly against his neck. Raph bit his lip to belatedly shut himself up. A flurry of butterflies in his tender stomach was caused in part by the feel of her moving against him, but mainly by a sudden worry about how she was gonna take the situation. Thinking it would be best if she didn't wake up just yet (couldn't he cop a small break and just enjoy having her so close for a little longer before she freaked out?), he gently tried to hold her closer; hoping that would soothe her into returning to sleep.

"Hmm, um…, uh…, huh?" each murmur was louder and less contented until she tipped her head back to look at him in dazed confusion. Unsure what to say Raph settled for a sheepish grin in return. Taushas' brow creased slightly as she lifted her head to look about herself, almost pulling backwards out of his arms completely before realising with a shock she didn't have very much room to manoeuvre in her half of the narrow bed; clutching him tight again to avoid the drop she felt yawning behind her. Raph happily secured her within his embrace once more.

"What the…? How…? We… didn't… did we?" Tau whispered, her eyes widening in distress causing a savage catch in Raphs' chest. Taken aback a little, despite expecting her to react along similar lines, Raph demanded more harshly than he intended,   
"Don't you remember?" Tausha flushed a deep crimson, contritely dropping her gaze.   
"No." she admitted quietly, before meeting his eyes again "Do you?" Raph blushed, looking shame-faced himself.   
"No." he finally murmured, searching her face to try to gauge how annoyed she was at his confession.   
"Oh." Tau took a moment to digest the situation, her face set in concentration.

To Raphs' relief she only gave him a brief scowl for his insolence before she loosened her grip on him enough to push the covers off their shoulders. Tausha ran her hand over the material of the top of her dress that her action revealed. She gave him an uncertain glance, starting to chew on her lip. Raph frowned slightly in confusion at her behaviour until he felt her fingertips brush the top of his thigh as she moved her hand up her own leg. The light touch and the realization she was hitching up her skirt sent a dizzying wave of heat up Raphs' abs, all the way to his aching head. Involuntarily he whimpered slightly, his rational mind fighting a losing battle to have its' demands obeyed for his body to rest; swiftly overwhelmed by a more primal directive.

"I don't think so." Taushas' smile of relief shone through the battle-haze to register in Raphs' consciousness.   
"Huh?"   
"I've still got my knickers on. And you, ugh" she rubbed her stomach with a grimace "still have your belt on. Damn thing's been embossed on my gut!" she grinned. Raph gave an awkward half-smile in return, feeling an odd mix of relief and disappointment as she relaxed beside him. She continued with a small laugh,   
"It's a good thing you took your sai off, or you'd have been poking me all night!"

Her smile froze as she realised too late just how her comment could be misconstrued, Raph gaping at her in bemused shock. She scowled lightly as he started to giggle, not appreciating being the butt of the joke. But that just made him chuckle more. With a sheepish smile she started to snigger, and that seemed to set Raph off laughing in earnest. Drawn along by his infectious mirth, Tausha soon joined in; both inadvertently grasping each other close again in their hysterics.

They managed to settle after a few minutes; both groaning, their heads aching in protest as they relaxed back, face to face, on the pillow. Still, Tausha couldn't help a warm smile as she met Raphs' eyes, her grin widening as he returned the look. Though there was something deeper in his gaze. Something that reached into her chest with a strong grip, that made it seem natural that he would close the small gap between them to gently rub his beak against the tip of her nose. Some small residue of reason made her tip her head forward slightly. Not enough to break the contact, just enough to let him know her lips were out of bounds.

Raph applied a soft pressure, not for her to tip her head back as she expected however. Instead he silently urged her to turn her head away from the pillow. Tausha only hesitated a moment, curiosity winning her over. Raph leisurely traced his beak down the side of her nose to her cheek; making a slow, thorough exploration of the territory from top to bottom with his closed lips. Each sweep moved gradually closer to her ear, making her turn her head further. The hypnotic tingle the brush of his rough skin sent down her spine pushed any notion of her hindering his venture out of her head.

Reaching her temple Raph paused to breathe deeply against her hair, before following the line of her ear down to the top of her neck. Tausha felt a little anxious about what, if anything, she would do if he started kissing her now as he turned his head without breaking his contact with her skin, opening his mouth a little. Instead of kissing her however, he opted for languidly running the twin trails of his lips down her neck. His warm breath adding to the rapture Tausha felt at the sensation. A ragged sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes, unconsciously shifting onto her back, turning her head completely to give him free access for his return trip up her neck.

To maintain the contact Raph found himself having to lean over her a little, moving his leg up slightly to support his weight. The small movement of his thigh between hers burnt away the last remnants of rational thought in Taushas' mind as she willingly co-operated, turning her head back for him as he traced the line of her jaw to her chin. He teased her for a moment, playfully running his beak over the soft skin just beneath her lower lip before he pulled away slightly.

Tausha lay still with baited breath as she felt him hovering so close she could virtually feel his lips against hers already. She quickly grew uneasy, wondering why he wasn't moving.   
'Maybe he's waiting for me?' flickered through her mind. Throwing all caution to the wind she lifted her head, missing his lips completely as he jerked his head back, his whole body suddenly tense. Taushas' eyes flew open to check what was wrong, only catching a glimpse of his grimace before he threw back the sheets, launched himself off the bed, wrenched open her door and fled down the alcove.

Tausha couldn't stifle a gasp in dismay, instantly feeling crushed; though it quickly turned to a groan of relieved disgust as she heard the unmistakable sounds of retching echoing from her bathroom at the end of the hall. She shivered as her body complained about the sudden loss of the blankets, though the chill seemed to snap her addled mind back into action. She could almost hear a lecturing voice berating her from her sub-conscious.   
'What the heck were you doing? How could you be so stupid as to let things get out of hand like that? You know there are some incredibly good reasons why you can't!'   
'Yeah…' she mentally answered, though she still couldn't think straight for the spinning her brain was doing 'yeah, I know… Like, um…, what again?'   
'You're leaving. You know the only chance at some sort of normal life you've got is half way round the world. It's not like he can tag along for the ride. He and your Dad have sworn to kill each other. Either way that's not gonna turn out good. Leo would kill you. Both.' Tausha could sense the lecturer ticking the points off their fingers matter-of-factly before shaking an accusatory finger 'And last but not least, he's a _turtle_! Just what kinda relationship do you think you're gonna be able to have with him, huh? No 'white picket fence' there, that's for sure! You're both just gonna end up getting hurt for your trouble, one way or another.'

"Augh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Tausha quietly scolded herself, driving each point home with the heel of her hand against her forehead. The resultant throbbing she incurred made her wrap her hand tightly over her eyes for a moment to stop her skull falling apart. Tentatively lifting her hand away, as the pain settled back into a dull ache behind her eyes, she realised she could still hear Raph from the bathroom. With a groan she hauled herself off the bed and trudged down the alcove to check on her friend. He was right where she expected him to be, kneeling in front of the toilet.

As Tausha stood beside him Raph looked up at her with such a remorseful expression it almost broke her heart. With as reassuring a half-smile as she could muster she shook her head slightly.   
"It's alright." she murmured. Raph tried a small, embarrassed grin, his effort thwarted as he lurched forward again. With a resigned sigh Tausha rescued his bandanna tails before they slipped off his shoulder into the bowl, keeping hold of them and giving his shoulder a light rub in consolation until he managed to sit back on his heels again with a groan. He didn't move as Tausha fetched him a cup of water, giving her a weak smile in gratitude before he washed out his mouth.   
"Thanks…" he croaked, handing back the empty cup as he grabbed a heap of toilet paper to wipe his face.   
"No dramas." Tausha replied over her shoulder, walking back to the sink to wash the cup "Just remember it if I ever need the favour returned, ok?"

He did a quick double-take looking at the mess he'd roughly wiped off his lips.   
'Huh? I haven't eaten carrots for days! An' what the hell's that?' he thought, noticing an odd reddish smear. It certainly wasn't blood. Deciding it was probably best he didn't know he tossed the paper and flushed the toilet. Unsteadily he got to his feet to wander over to the cabinet to give his hands and face a rough wash.   
"D'ya mind?" he asked, holding up her toothpaste.   
"Nah, 'course not. Do you want me to go grab your toothbr…?" Tausha didn't bother ending her query as Raph squeezed the tube directly in his mouth, ducking down to get some water straight from the tap.

He grinned as inanely as he could whilst sloshing round the mouthful, in return for her rolling her eyes at him, before she turned back to trying ineffectually to wipe off the remnants of her make-up with another tissue. She was bent over, attempting to remove the smudges of colour from around her eyes, gazing intently in the small, slightly cracked mirror propped on the counter Don had found for her a few days ago.

A tissue she'd already used and left on the side caught Raphs' attention. It had a similar stain to the one he'd noticed from his own clean up.   
"What's that?" he pointed, after spitting his improvised mouthwash in the sink.   
"Huh? Oh, just some damn lipstick. I swear; it's impossible to get this darn stuff off completely! Argh, I give up." she pouted, gathering up her bundle of wasted tissues and tossing them forcibly in the bin. Turning back she caught sight of an odd expression on Raphs' face, almost like he'd been caught out doing something he shouldn't, before he tried to hide it behind a nonchalant grin.

"Um…" Tausha chewed her lip nervously for a moment "About uh, last night. It doesn't really change anything… Does it?" she asked nervously.   
"Huh?"   
"I mean, it's not like anything happened that was anything more than where we're at now anyway…" flustered Tausha "We hug an' stuff all the time. Just 'cos we cuddled for… a while and we were obviously tired and cold or we wouldn't have ended up in… Ah, it really wasn't anything more than a couple of friends would… do… really… was it?"   
"Uh, I dunno. I, uh, I… guess so." Raph mumbled to the floor. Tausha beamed in relief, reaching out to clasp his arm lightly.   
"I knew you'd understand. You are a good friend, Raph."   
"Yeah." muttered Raph, unable to meet her eyes.   
"Even so," Tausha continued, unperturbed "It's probably best if we keep it to ourselves, huh?"

Somehow Raph managed to bite back on particularly sarcastic remark regarding his intentions to announce their sleeping arrangements to the world. Instead he decided to shove the ball back in her court.   
"Why not?" he curtly asked, with a shrug. Tausha quirked a sceptical eyebrow at him.   
"Well…, others may not see it that way." she explained "Like Leo, for instance. He'd probably think I was trying to seduce you as part of some evil plot and give me the boot!"   
"You mean; you weren't?" Raph queried, raising an eye ridge of his own, enjoying the flush of colour that spread on her cheeks.   
"NO! I thought we just agreed on that!" she blurted.   
"Yeah…" Raph drawled, tipping his head to one side in consideration "But then I did end up in _your_ room…" It was all he could do to stop himself grinning as she face faulted.

"So?" she demanded, crossing her arms in a huff "That doesn't mean I invited you or anything. Knowing you, you probably snuck in there!"   
"What? Snuck in; climbed in your bed, _between_ you an' the wall, and hugged ya; all without you realising?"   
"Yeah." Tausha defiantly reinforced her argument, though her movements were a little jerky as she turned her nose in the air.   
"Man, you are nuts! Maybe I shoulda gone with Angel…" Raph grumbled, instantly regretting teasing her with that as Tau stiffened, her face going pale. She turned away from him before she muttered her reply.   
"Yeah… maybe you should have…"

Mentally kicking himself Raph searched desperately for something to say. Tausha hadn't sounded angry, just… sad. And now she was just stood there, arms tightly crossed, back to him, not moving at all. The sight of her like that wedged a lump in his throat.   
"Hey." he uttered, she didn't respond.   
"Hey." he said a little louder, gripping her gently by the shoulders when she still didn't react. She resisted his first attempt to turn her to face him. With the second he used enough force to not give her much choice in the matter. She still refused to look at him, turning her face away with her mouth set in a grim line.   
"Hey!" he urged again, shaking her slightly; starting to feel a desperate need to get her to at least acknowledge him.   
"It was my choice that we stay friends, and I can live with that." she whispered, still pointedly not looking at him "And I can live with you finding someone else. That's only fair. But, please, don't rub your other relationships in my face. I… can't…" she faltered as her voice cracked, blinking back tears.

Unable to think of the right words to say Raph pulled her close, hoping she'd be able to figure out what he meant better then he could. She didn't return his embrace, though he was still relieved when she nuzzled her face against his shoulder.   
"I'm sorry…" she snuffled, not lifting her head.   
"Huh, _you're_ sorry?" Raph asked in disbelief, wasn't that supposed to be his line?   
"Yeah." Tausha nodded awkwardly, still not raising her head off his shoulder "I shouldn't be getting all emotional like this. I don't want you to think I'll get upset if you wanna… I meant it when I said whatever happens with you an' Angel is ok…"   
"Nothing's happenin' with me an' Angel." assured Raph.   
"But…?"   
"No 'buts'. It can't anyway, she's only fourteen." he explained.

Tausha looked up, eying him dubiously.   
"She is? I thought she was older than that…"   
"I didn't realise she was that young either." admitted Raph with a shrug. Tausha thought for a moment before attempting a conciliatory smile.   
"I guess you just have to wait a few years then, huh? I'm sure you two could still work things out."   
"Tau…" Raph tried in vain to interrupt as Tausha frowned slightly.   
"You didn't say anything too stupid did you? I did tell you to be nice. I know she slapped you, but maybe we could figure out some way to make it up to her…"   
"Tau…" interceded Raph; a note of warning in his voice that had no effect what-so-ever as Tausha gazed past him in contemplation.   
"We could set you up a dinner here, or you could take her some flowers and apologise. No, wait, chocola… mmmm!" her plans interrupted as he grasped the back of her head and kissed her hard on the lips.

She gaped at him in shock as he pulled back with scowl.   
"Shut up!" he ordered sternly "It is not gonna happen, ok?"   
"Oh…, ok…" she murmured.   
"Do me a favour. I won't tease ya about other girls if you don't try to shove me into any 'other relationship'. Deal?" he growled. Tau nodded distractedly, still looking astonished.   
"Deal." she whispered.   
"Good." grunted Raph, using his hold on her head to pull her into a tight embrace.

Having her arms pinned to her sides by his biceps there was little Tau could do to return the hold as she gradually relaxed. His shell thwarting her attempts to move her hands to his back she settled for resting them lightly on his hips instead. After a moment Raph felt her tense again.   
"You have to let me go." she whispered, Raph responded by crushing her harder against his cheek.   
"Raph, please, let me go?" she begged quietly, starting to push against him.   
"Don't wanna." pouted Raph.   
"Please, Raph…!" The desperation in her voice made him ease his grip to look at her in concern. Tau took the opportunity to swiftly wriggle downwards, out of his grasp, before making a dash to lean over the toilet.

Resignedly Raph made his way over to stand beside her, pulling back the many loose strands that had escaped the roll in her hair. In part to distract himself from what Tau was doing he started to comb out the tangles with his fingers. Gaining a break in her body's attempts to purge itself Tau gave him a weak, side-long smile in gratitude.   
"Thanks."   
"No worries. It's what friends are for, right?" Raph assured. Tau didn't get to answer as her stomach decided it wasn't quite done yet.

She gave him another weak smile after she'd finished, before pulling her hair out of his grasp as she walked quickly over to the sink to wash her face and hands. She could feel him approach and stand behind her, though he didn't say a word. Unsure what to say Tau decided to buy herself some more time to think by brushing her teeth, starting to feel edgy in the continuing quiet. Rubbing her hands over her face as she straightened, dumping her toothbrush back in its holder, more to break the silence than anything else she exclaimed,   
"Gees! I need a shower!"

Raph laughed softly, almost against her neck, making her start slightly. She was sure he hadn't been that close before, and something in his laugh sent a tingle straight down her spine.   
"That sounds like a good idea. Wanna share one?" he murmured cheekily.   
"Raph! You're not serious!" Tau admonished sternly over her shoulder.   
"Uh…? Nah, not… really." Raph mumbled, his grin turning to an uncertain frown.   
"Oh! Thank goodness!" breathed Tau, hand to chest.   
"Bet'cha wouldn't be so bothered if Mike asked ya…" he muttered darkly. Tau eyed him over her shoulder again, clearly assessing his sanity.   
"That's 'cos I know Mike's _never_ serious. With you it's… harder to tell." she trailed off.

Raph brooded for a moment.   
"What would ya do if you did think he was serious?" he asked quietly.   
"Thump him over the head with the nearest blunt object." Tau stated matter-of-factly, a note of concern in her voice as she continued "Why? You don't think he _is_ serious, do you?"   
"Nah." Raph quickly denied "It's just Mikey bein' Mikey. I was just… wonderin'."   
"He really is only a friend, Raph. But, if you're not comfortable with us flirting… I'll be sure to tone it down a bit anyway. Ok?" She turned as far as she was able, still wedged between him and the bench, to clasp his shoulder in assurance.   
"Don't worry about it." Raph said shortly "I know yer just both havin' fun. But I'm you're friend too, right? So why can't I have some fun with ya?"

Tausha sighed, trying to think of a way to explain it.   
"You can, Raph. I suppose I did over-react, and I probably wouldn't have if Mike said the same thing. But I don't feel… he and I could ever be more than friends, even if we didn't have to face all the same problems that you and I are." she chewed her lip for a moment "I don't mind if you want to… 'be suggestive' when we're messing about. But, sometimes it does… make life… difficult?" she offered with an apologetic smile.   
"I'm sorry…" she quickly added as his frown deepened.   
"No." Raph shook his head "It's alright. I… get it." he managed to plaster a smile on his face.

"So, we are friends?" Tausha searched his face as he nodded slightly "Um, 'cos friends shouldn't really, you know…, kiss." she mumbled.   
"Yeah, well if you'd listened to me I wouldn't have had to!" protested Raph.   
"Sorry." Tausha apologised, colouring slightly.   
"Augh, would you stop sayin' that?" Raph asked, exasperated. Tausha gave a small cheeky grin.   
"Sorry."   
"If you say that one more time, I swear I'll kiss ya again!" threatened Raph. Tau laughed lightly before motioning her lips were locked shut, the 'key' thrown over her shoulder.

They shared an empathetic smile, before Raph motioned towards the door with a nod of his head.   
"C'mon, we'd better make a move. Reckon we'd still have a tough time explaining why we're in here together if we get caught. I'll head down first; leave ya in peace to get cleaned up. I suppose I'd better check how badly Leos' flipping out over the state of the lair. Bet'cha anything he'll want us to get it spick an' span before Splinter gets back."

Tau nodded, before eying the boarded up shower recess. Hanging on it were various warnings; 'Artist at work', 'Top secret', 'Do not enter on pain of horrid torture!'   
"You know, if Mikey really did care for me he'd have gotten that finished already." she moaned light-heartedly. She didn't complain about it, but she was looking forward to not having to share the 'boys' bathroom.   
"Uh…, yeah." Raph agreed with an awkward smile, that Tau managed to miss, as he guided her over to the door.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This may be the last chapter uploaded for a couple of weeks, though this fic will definitely be continued. Just getting a bit tired and sore with Kiddo 3, so don't get as many opportunities to sit at the computer. But I'm hoping to have this story finished before bub arrives!

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading (you're doin' a great job, chica!); and to Dragonfly Rider and The Incredible Dancing Betty for the reviews!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Raph ducked back into Taus' room for a moment to fetch his sai before peering out the alcove entrance to check the coast was clear. From the devastation below it was obvious he didn't have to worry too much about being spotted. There were plastic cups and plates strewn everywhere, the floor was mottled with stains ranging from trampled food to goodness-knows-what. Copious amounts of 'silly string' and toilet paper were tangled about the bridge, all around the lounge area, and spread under the dining table.

Everyone he could see was still passed out. Leatherhead with his back legs in the pool, his tail idly moving back and forth in the water as he slept. Usagi was a curled ball of white fur in Splinters' armchair, his daisho laid neatly on the table before him. Mike was sat at the far end of the couch, feet on the coffee table, arms flung out along the top of the cushions with his head lolling back, snoring loudly; Renet lying curled on the sofa facing him with her head on his lap.

Heading down the stairs Raph couldn't help gaping in amused awe at the scene, wishing like heck he could remember more of what had happened; lots more, as he subconsciously touched his lips. Jerking his hand away as he realised what he was doing an odd notion popped into his mind,   
'Who'd have thunk? Huns' daughter; she's pretty much the last person on Earth I should be hopin' to… remember.' Despite the thought he still couldn't resist glancing back up the stairs, a small rueful smile invading his face as he caught sight of her walking into the first passageway with an armful of clothes, on her way to the bathroom. Shaking his head to clear it he cracked a huge cheeky grin as another thought struck. He crept into Dons' lab, emerging a few minutes later with his prize; the camera.

To his amazement the flash, and his sniggers, failed to disturb anyone in the lounge.   
"What was that light?" Leo croaking from the kitchen doorway almost made Raph drop the camera in surprise. After a brief juggling act he held up the device for his brother to see with an evil grin.   
"A guarantee Mike _will_ be cleanin' the kitchen this year!" he whispered triumphantly. Leos' reprimanding scowl quickly turned to a wry smile as he looked back at the mess behind him.   
"Good." Leo agreed "Coffee?" With a nod Raph followed as Leo stepped back through the door.

The kettle was already close to boiling. Leo bent over to rest his elbows on the bench, hands clasped over ears, eyes closed tight, as the burbling grew louder. He waited till the appliance had finished its task and calmed again to cautiously release his head.   
"You ok bro?" Raph asked in bemusement as he fetched out two mugs and dumped spoonfuls of coffee and sugar into both.   
"Yeah." Leo sighed "No. I'm _never_ mixing beer and saki again…" he promised with a groan, grasping his forehead again.   
"Here, this'll help." assured Raph, shoving a steaming mug under Leos' beak. Watching his 'responsible' brother grimace at the strong scent, as if a bucket may be required in short order, was almost enough to make Raph laugh out loud. However, Leo managed to steel himself to take a sip of the brew.

Raph did laugh at the faces Leo gurned, running the gamut from revulsion to determination as he finally managed to swallow the drink.   
"Ugh! How much coffee did you put in this?" gasped Leo.   
"Lots." stated Raph, his own grin contorting to a grimace as he took a sip himself, ignoring Leos' dark look. After a quick internal debate, that involved many a dubious glance between the contents of his mug and his surrounds, Leo sighed resignedly. In a swift motion he up-ended the mug, downing its contents in a couple of gulps. Raph watched, eye ridge raised, as his brother went an odd shade of pale green; bracing a hand against the counter as his normal colour slowly returned.   
"Augh, I think I needed that. You know we have to get this place cleaned up before Sensei returns." Leo rasped.

Rolling his eyes Raph grunted disparagingly, Leo ignoring him as he nursed his head again.   
"Uh, now if only we could get Mike to stop that darn racket!" frowned Leo.   
"I c'n fix that." Raph grinned evilly, turning to head out the door.   
"Hey!" Leo called "Don't be too rough, ok?" Raph gave a resigned nod before quietly walking over to his sleeping brother. Moving around the couch he tugged lightly on the orange bandanna hanging down the back of it. No response.   
"Mikey…, hey Mi-ike-e-y…" Raph crooned, patting him on the cheek. Mike reacted with a snuffle, quickly falling back into his regular snore, louder than before.

Glancing up to see Leo leaning in the kitchen doorway, looking disappointed the noise hadn't been stopped yet, Raph smiled sweetly before flicking Mike solidly between the eyes.   
"Arrgh! What the…?" Mike jerked upright, rubbing his stinging face "Raph! You rotten… Eep!" he squeaked, flattening himself against the couch again as he realised who was on his lap.   
"Hehe, grapes are fun an' hummishmmmmm…" mumbled Renet, quickly dozing off again.   
"Cripes! She even talks in her sleep!" whispered Mike in astonishment.   
"Heh! C'mon 'Romeo', time to clean up." Raph teased in Mikes' ear, grinning at the look of pure horror Mike gave him.   
"You don't think I'd ask…? There's _no way_! 'Cos I wouldn't... _kiss_… there's just, _NO WAY_!" Mike desperately put his case, slamming his hand over his own mouth as Renet stirred slightly. Very carefully Mike edged his leg out from under Renets' head, quickly replacing it with a pillow so he could escape the couch. He shot Raph a dirty look before gripping his head and stomach with a long groan.

"Oh ma-a-an, I don't feel too good…" Mike looked to both his brothers with puppy dog eyes pleading for compassion "I think I should just go to bed an' rest for a while… you guys c'n get started without me, right? 'Sides, I did do most of the work yester… whaz'at?" Mike asked as Raph pulled the camera out from where he'd tucked it in his belt, to dangle it by its strap.   
"Evidence."   
"No."   
"Yep. You still thinkin' of leavin' us to clean up this mess?"

Mike looked to Leo in desperation. Aside from a small, irregular tic at one corner of his mouth, Leos' deadpan expression didn't offer Mike any hope.   
"Awwww, guys?" whined Mike, jumping back from the couch as Renet murmured something again. Beaming, Raph herded Mike towards the kitchen with an arm about his shoulders.   
"C'mon, I'll make you a coffee to get ya started…"   
"Ok. Hey, you don't really think I've asked Renet to be my… girlfriend, or anything? Do ya?" Mike asked in wide-eyed concern. Raph looked him straight in the eye.   
"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. She may be a ditz, but she's not desperate."

---------- ----------

"You are all insane. I told you yesterday that the best cure for a hangover is water and rest." Don admonished his siblings, handing out paracetamol and ant-acid to his brothers, Usagi and Leatherhead as they all sat around the partially cleared dining table.   
"Which is why you're feelin' so good this mornin', huh?" Raph asked sarcastically as Don downed some of the tablets himself. Don eyed him in reproach, admitting quietly,   
"Ok, so I might have forgotten to drink any water last night… I still can't believe the first thing you all do is drink coffee. All that's gonna do is make you feel worse!" Mike moaned feebly in agreement, not lifting his head from where he rested it on the table.

"Whoa, we did do well last night, hey?" joked Tau as she approached, greeted with weak smiles from most. Mike didn't move his head, giving a loud, melodramatic groan as Tau stood behind him, gratefully receiving tablets from Don.   
"Mikey!" she exclaimed in concern, just stopping herself reaching for his shoulder "Are you alright?"   
"Ooohh…, I hurt… everywhere." he managed to turn his head slightly to give her a feeble grin "But I'm sure I wouldn't feel so bad if you gave me a cuddle!" Tau treated him to a level stare before she leant over close to his face, Mikes' grin widening in anticipation.   
"Suffer." she muttered cheekily, with an evil grin, before flouncing off towards the kitchen. Mike lifted his head to gape after her in dramatised disbelief, till he was distracted by the smug smirk Raph was failing to hide behind his glass of water.

Mike raised an eye ridge, but didn't get to question his brother as April and Casey arrived at the table, Gen trailing a short distance behind them.   
"Good morning everyone!" sang April, wrapping her arms around Mikes' neck "And thankyou for letting us use your room again, Mikey." She gave him a quick, light kiss to the top of his head. Mike grinned blissfully, impervious to the dark looks from Casey, and Don.   
"Hmph, you obviously got the better deal. That canvas thingy you boys have upstairs is comfortable enough to sleep in, getting out of it is a bit tricky though!" muttered Gen, nursing the back of his head.

Raph purposefully engrossed himself in taking a very long, slow drink of water, blatantly ignoring Leos' sudden intense scrutiny; the rest of the table continuing with morning banter around them. Finally emptying the glass Raph had no choice but to place it, with exaggerated care, back on the table.   
"So where did _you_ sleep last night?" Leo interrogated in a low voice. Raph shrugged, knowing no answer he could give would satisfy his brother; he opted for playing dumb. He felt a small sense of satisfaction as Leo scowled at him in annoyance.   
"I'm in no mood for games this morning, Raph. _Where_ did you sleep?" Leos' stern tone didn't leave much room for argument. Raph racked his unco-operative brain in a futile attempt to come up with a plausible, though obviously untruthful, answer; he tried to buy himself some time.   
"Uh…, well…, it's kinda… embarrassing…"   
"I'll say." Tau made them both start, neither had realised she had crouched behind them "I found him hoicking his guts up in my bathroom, loud enough to get me outta bed!" she rolled her eyes dramatically, taking a drink of water from the glass she held.

Leos' eyes flicked from one to the other, trying to figure the truth of the matter. Raph had coloured slightly, refusing to face him; but Tau met his eyes levelly, with no nervous tics or other tell-tale signs of deception. Leo let his serious expression dissolve into one of sympathetic disgust for his brother.   
"Alright." he conceded hesitantly, treating them both to a final sceptical glance, before standing to gain the attention of the group "I hate to interrupt, but we have to get started on cleaning this place up…"

"Thanks…, I think." whispered Raph in an aside to Tau; sure Leo couldn't hear over the tasks he was issuing to his brothers. Tau gave him a silent 'phew' and relieved smile, before wiping the expression off her face as Leo turned to look down at them.   
"Raph, you start with mopping the floors as they're cleared. If we get the dojo done first, hopefully Splinter won't think too badly of us when he first walks in. Come on guys! The sooner we start, the sooner we'll finish." Leo prompted, quickly turning on his heel to march into the kitchen for cleaning supplies. With many a dark muttering the other turtles slowly heaved themselves up from the table to trudge disconsolately after their brother; though Mike stepped a bit quicker to escape to the kitchen as Renet sat up groggily on the couch.

---------- ----------

Leo sat at his desk, trying to concentrate on the characters he was brushing onto the paper. He wasn't having much luck; he was still feeling seedy, his hand was stiff from grinding the scrubbing brush into the floor until Splinter had ordered him to stop, and his mind kept wandering. He was still trying to grasp why Splinter had suggested, in his inexorable way, that he retire to his room for a while.

He'd tried so hard to motivate his brothers into proving their ability to be responsible, and get the lair back to normal before their Sensei returned. He'd even been grateful for the help of their friends, and had told them so. But that hadn't mitigated the frustration he'd felt at their slow progress, or his disenchantment when Splinter arrived well before they'd accomplished their task. Splinter had seemed delighted that they had started on the cleaning, and had even suggested that they ease their already sluggish pace. Of course, his brothers had immediately taken that advice.

Leo didn't quite understand it himself, but that had just urged him onto working even harder; feeling he had to pick up the slack. Again. He paused in what he was doing to stretch his neck and shoulders for a moment, though it did little to alleviate the oppressive disappointment he felt.

Some of it was for his brothers. Why couldn't they find the strength of will to fight their puerile whims? True, they had all shown they could act maturely on occasion; some more than others. But none of them could deny that they were practically adults. Surely by now they should _always_ be thinking of the consequences of their actions, concerned about their reputation, and willing to work through any discomfort to get the job done, preferably without complaint.

However, he couldn't quiet the nagging thought that he was being a little too harsh in his assessment of his kin. After all most of his dissatisfaction was due to the fact he'd let himself fall prey to his own temptation to let his guard down. He hadn't intended to get drunk, but he'd underestimated the effects of the mix of alcohol. Remembering what he could of the previous night it had taken surprisingly few drinks, in his opinion, for him to get to the point where he didn't bother keeping count anymore. And if he was that intoxicated, it was a fair bet that everyone else had been worse.

What if there had been an attack, or an accident? It was his foremost responsibility to ensure the safety of his family and friends, and he hadn't even realised till this morning that Angel had left during the night. Luckily Casey had managed to get in touch with her Grandmother over the phone, and confirmed she'd gotten home safely. Still, Leo took it as proof of his short-fall.

Hadn't he already learnt this lesson? That letting ones own desires and weaknesses dictate ones actions was a sure path to failure, and hurt. If he hadn't ignored his better judgement (or, he grudgingly had to admit, that of his brothers) he wouldn't have misplaced his trust in such a way that had almost led to his family to being annihilated. Yet here he was, making the same mistake once more…

The sound of his door opening jerked Leo out of his reverie.   
"Hi." smiled Tau, as she stood in the doorway with a couple of mugs "Splinter's made one of his medicinal teas, and this time it doesn't taste too bad! He thought you might like a cup?" She entered at Leos' nod, handing him his drink. Leo gave her a curt smile in thanks before turning back to his work, 'tsking' as he noticed droplets of ink across the bottom of the page over which he'd unwittingly held his brush.

"That's a shame." murmured Tau, peering over his shoulder "What are you writing?" Leo huffed, mainly at his own stupidity for wasting ink and paper.   
"It's a passage from Sun Tzu's 'Art of War', one of my favourites." he explained, a little tersely.   
"Oh." Despite being curious about what the lettering actually meant, Tau decided not to press for the translation. Instead she took the opportunity, whilst he was distracted with a futile attempt to wipe the ink splatters off the page, to have a quick glance around. She hadn't been in Leos' room before; it was the only room in the lair she hadn't entered, except for the armoury.

It was pretty much what she'd expected. For the most part it was meticulously neat; to the point it felt almost barren, despite the bookcases and art that lined the walls. There was nothing she'd call a knick-knack; everything had a set purpose and place. Though she couldn't read the Japanese scripts mounted on the walls, she had no doubt they were all sage advice or proverbs. The only exception was a small picture of a landscape featuring a Torii gate; depicted in simple, flowing lines and mounted over the head of the narrow bed. The only other furniture in the room was the small writing desk, study lamp and wooden chair.

There were two items that weren't strictly tidy. One was a thick candle that sat, unlit, on the desk. From the runnels of wax down its side, and gathered to almost overflowing on the plate, Tau guessed it had once been twice as tall as it was now. The other was a large, battered folder lying on the bed; the corners of a few sheets of paper jutting from it. She glanced nervously at Leos' back, sure he was too distracted to notice her as he screwed up the paper he'd been working on and fetched a new sheet from the draw below the desk.

Curiosity getting the better of her Tau edged one of the sheets out of the folder, surprised as her espionage revealed a stunning image of a farmhouse. It was drawn in the same simple, monochromatic style as the picture on the wall, but still readily conveyed the detail of the place, down to the ruts in the track between the avenues of trees leading to it.

"Ahem." Leos' interruption almost made Tau jump out of her skin. Luckily she managed not to spill the remnants of her tea.   
"S… sorry! I didn't mean to pry." she flustered "Well…, maybe a little. I was just curious an'… you know this is really good!" she assured, pointing to the illustration with an ingratiating smile, hoping she wasn't about to receive a lecture, or worse. She was sure her fears were about to be realised as he scowled, though he looked to the drawing rather than at her.   
"You think so?" he asked. Tau managed to stifle her sigh of relief.   
"Yeah." Brashly she decided to push her luck. "Do you… mind if I have a bit of a look?"

Leos' frown didn't waver, though he shuffled nervously where he sat for a moment.   
"Uh…, yeah, go ahead." he finally permitted; quickly turning back to smooth the new sheet of paper on his desk and set back to work. Cautiously Tau sat next to the folder, slowly opening it to look through the pages within. Since Leo seemed intent on ignoring her now she took her time to admire each image.

Most were rough depictions of the steps for kata. Tau had seen similar representations before, though she found these intriguing since the sketches contained mutant turtles as opposed to the humans she was used to. Interspersed with these was the occasional picture of a landscape, and more rarely a portrait. There was one page dedicated to various rough sketches of Splinter, another detailed the face of a Japanese man she didn't recognise.

The last item in the folder was a large envelope; '_Bayview, Room 179_' neatly written on it near one corner. It wasn't sealed shut, though it had seen better days; it looked as though it had been badly crumpled at some point. Despite having Leos' permission to look, she still felt nervous about opening it; glancing at him again to make sure he was engrossed in his lettering before she did so.

There were two sheets within that had obviously shared the envelopes misfortune; the first was similar to the rough kata sketches, though the images didn't run in sequence. It was more a collection of stances. Tau frowned slightly in confusion, wondering why this set featured a human figure, dressed in fitting black, with a lone katana. She figured it must have been an early attempt, since the face of the figure invariably consisted of mere simple lines where the main features should be, in contrast to the detail of the slim body.

The second sheet was similar to the first, in that it displayed a human in a variety of poses; though none of them were martial. One showed the person stood, looking back over their shoulder, past their katana hilt. Another of them in a simple, elegant dress, hands on hips. And a few sketches, face and shoulders only, of various expressions.

However, the one that really caught Taus' attention filled one quarter of the sheet. It was unusual in that none of the lines were sharp; the whole picture had been created with the flat of the pencil making it seem alive with shadows. Even so, the detail was immaculate, down to the hint of a smile playing on the lips. Despite some smudging from the rough treatment the page had received, Tau had no trouble recognising who it was.

"Damn! I'd forgotten those were in there!" Tau gasped in surprise as Leo wrenched the sheets from her hands, quickly turning away to shove them violently back into the envelope.   
"Leo! Be careful, you're gonna wreck 'em!"   
"So? I never should have dragged this out of the bin in the first place!" Leo shot back, starting to scrunch one end of the stuffed envelope in his fist.   
"Leo, don't!" beseeched Tau, the note of desperation in her voice enough to make him pause in his destruction to glare at her over his shoulder.   
"Why not?" he demanded brusquely.   
"Because you'll regret it." she explained in earnest.

Leo stared at his clenched fist for a moment, refusing to relax it as he muttered,   
"How the heck would you know how I feel?"   
"I… don't, I guess. But Raph told me you were… friends with her." Taus' admission rankling him, Leo scowled darkly back at her.   
"You can forget _everything_ that Raph's told you about it, 'cos it _wasn't_ like that at all!" he growled. Tau chewed her lip for a moment, trying to think of response that wouldn't rile him further.   
"So, what _was_ it like?" she asked softly. Leo grimaced before he turned back to his desk. Part of Tau wanted to escape the odd tension in the room, but something in the rigid set of his shoulders made her stay. After what seemed an age Leo sighed, his whole posture slumping as he finally let go of the envelope to let it drop on the desk.

"I thought she understood honour." he broke the silence with a whisper "That there was a chance she could be saved. But I was wrong. She refused to renounce her father. Despite her promises, she betrayed… us…, I should have known better…" he trailed off, dropping his head in shame. Quiet descended again as Tau digested his answer, her brow starting to furrow slightly in confusion. Finally she asked in a murmur,   
"Saved from what?" Leos' head jerked slightly before he shot her a look that clearly questioned her grip on reality.   
"The Shredder, of course." he stated emphatically.   
"Oh…, it's just I don't really see why she needed rescuing from him." Tau replied quietly "I know he could be demanding of her at times, but I always thought they had a pretty good relationship. At least they respected each other…"

Leo gaped in disbelief.   
"He was evil, dishonourable, and he corrupted her with that! If it wasn't for him she'd of had a chance to be good!" he argued. Tau tilted her head in consideration.   
"Maybe…, but I doubt she saw it that way." she answered with a shrug.   
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.   
"Well, I kinda like to consider myself to be 'good', though I'm the first to admit that my Dad isn't a saint." she explained. Leo dismissed her point with a shake of his head.   
"You're different. You were lucky that you weren't raised by your father, and you've forsaken him now anyway."

It was Leos' turn to look confused as Tausha shifted her gaze to the wall, raising her chin despite a slight tremble in her lips.   
"I may not have lived with him my whole life, but I wouldn't be who I am now without him." she said resolutely "He named me, insisted I learn to defend myself; heck I wouldn't even be _here_ if it weren't for him. I may not agree with everything that he does, or want to _live_ with him. But that doesn't mean I don't… love him." Leo was taken aback by the steel in her eyes as she met his again, before she continued.   
"He's still my Father, Leo. Nothing can change that. I would never betray you, or your family to him. But, I won't betray him to you either. Does that make _me_ dishonourable?" she asked sincerely.

Leos' brow furrowed deeper as he pondered.   
"I… No, I guess not. But you were never involved with Huns' crimes, so you've never really lost your honour anyway…" Tau quirked an eyebrow in bemusement before she answered,   
"I'm afraid that's not quite right either… Heh, you know the first time I ran into Raph he beat the crud outta me and a heap of Dragons 'cos we were knocking over a discount store. It's true, I didn't have a lot of choice in being there… but it wasn't the first time. And I'm sure I could've gotten out of it if I'd kicked up enough of a fuss. To be honest, it was better than being cooped up in the apartment 24-7! I guess what I'm trying to say is that my hands aren't _that_ clean. And while I know a lot of what my Dad gets up to isn't… right, I've never considered him to be really evil. As far as he's concerned he's just doing what he needs to, to get somewhere in this world."

They sat, both lost in thought for a moment, until Tau sighed.   
"It's kinda ironic really. Mum never kept what Dad did for a living from me, and ever since I understood what it meant I've dreaded hearing news about gang wars and stuff. I've always been afraid I'd see footage of him being carted off in a body-bag, or something. And now, here I am, friends with the guys that'll probably end up doing him in!" she shook her head sadly, continuing,   
"Life's nuts; and sometimes thinking about things too much… doesn't make it easier. Besides, I don't think you were that wrong about her in the first place. I didn't get to know her that well, but she was always nice to me, even stood up for me once. And I gotta admit I have a fair bit of respect for her; she's the only woman I've ever seen make my Dad back down from a fight! I know I wasn't there, so I don't know the full story; but I do feel she's been dealt the rough end of the stick a bit. Locked up for crimes that weren't really her fault, losing her father, being shunned by the Foot for failing to save him; and then my Dad enjoyed visiting her just to rub all that, and the fact he's got her job now, in her face. Gees, he _can_ be an insensitive jerk at times." Tau gave a humourless laugh, before falling silent again, studying her lap.

Leo disturbed the long quiet.   
"But you love him, regardless?" he asked quietly. Tau nodded resignedly, giving a wry smile.   
"Yep, 'fraid so." she admitted.   
"Does Raph know?" a hint of concern in his voice.   
"Yeah, 'course. I couldn't keep something like that from him, anymore anyway. Heh, doesn't mean he likes it!" she assured as Leo eyed her dubiously "But I guess we've kinda agreed to disagree on that front. Raph has his point of view, I have mine; and we both respect that. We've talked about it, so I can understand why he hates my Dad. And I can understand why my Dad hates him! I also know that the chances of me changing either of their minds are practically nil; though I don't really feel it's my place to. That's between them, all I can really do is hope that neither of 'em… win."

"Would you hate him, if he did kill Hun?" probed Leo. Tau took a moment to meet his gaze with sad eyes.   
"I don't think so, but I honestly don't know… I hope not, either way it works out. Just have to keep hoping I never find out…" she smiled weakly. Leo shook his head slightly in scepticism.   
"It's odd, that you and Raph seem to talk about… so much. He's never really been into sharing his feelings with anyone." Tausha shrugged.   
"It's not always easy, you know; for either of us. But anything worth having is worth working for. That's what friendship is all about, isn't it? Being there for each other, even when you don't agree? Maybe, if you'd taken her side into account a little more, you wouldn't be beating yourself up so much over losing her friendship now." Tau appealed gently.

Leo scowled after a moment of thought.   
"It wouldn't have mattered. Even if we'd had a chance to really talk about it, she would never have turned from her Father, anyway." he determined.   
"Would you have turned away from Splinter, if she'd asked that of you?" Tau asked softly. Leo glared at her in disgusted shock.   
"Of course not, I'd never be that dishonourable!" he answered vehemently.   
"So, why do you consider her dishonourable for not deserting her father?" her tone calm and level.   
"I, ah…, because it's…" Leo flustered in confusion, before he conceded in a whisper "I don't know."

Tau stood, laying a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.   
"Maybe you should take the time to really listen to her side of the story then." she suggested. Leo looked up at her, something akin to defeat in his gaze.   
"It's too late. There's no way I could get to talk to her now. Besides, she hates me." he murmured.   
"Then, you should hold onto them." Tau pointed to the envelope on his desk "At least then you can remember what you had, a good friend in bad circumstance." she gave his shoulder a light squeeze in consolation before turning to leave the room.

"Tau?" he called after her before she disappeared out the door. She turned back to see him shuffling nervously, his mouth working slightly as he struggled for something to say.   
"It's alright; I won't tell anyone you have 'em. Ok?" she promised. Leo smiled in relief, nodding his acceptance.

------- -------

A/N: Just a quick point of explanation, and some useless background info, lol! This will be revealed later in this series, but not in this fic, so to avoid any confusion; 'Bayview' is a prison in reality, located in downtown Manhattan. It is a medium security institution, for female inmates only. Here's a bit of info about it I trawled off the net, for those that are interested;

_Most prisons are flat affairs. They take what space they need by reaching out horizontally, typically occupying 40 to 50 acres of rural land. Not Bayview. This combination general confinement and work release facility for women achieves its space by stretching skyward: its "acreage" is vertical. It is an urban institution, contained entirely within the walls of an eight-story building at the corner of West 20th Street and 11th Avenue in downtown Manhattan's West Chelsea district. _

_Traditional prisons have grounds and yards outside their buildings; Bayview has city sidewalks. The sidewalks are of course out-of-bounds to the inmates, for whom the only "outside" is the roof. One side is equipped with a wrap-around, chain-link enclosure, like a bird cage, to prevent volleyballs from disappearing over the side, while the other side is used by inmates who just want to enjoy the flower garden, fresh air and exhilarating sights. _

_It's not called "Bayview" for nothing. The Hudson River is just across 11th Avenue. On a clear day, you can see the Statue of Liberty down river. Opposite the facility are the Chelsea piers, where a rescue ship carrying the survivors of the Titanic docked 89 years ago. _


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Yeah, I'm still here… still fat an' tired… pretty much given up on finishing this one before I pop, so expect more delays! Anywho, enough whinging, better warn ya there's some swearing in this chapter.

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading! I've realised I forgot to give credit where it is due last chapter and thank ya for coming up with idea for the the '42' Donnie flashback in Chapter 4 for me! (CPQs' idea, my fault it was so obscure! For anyone wondering it is a reference to Hitch-hikers' Guide to the Galaxy).

Also a huge thank you to artykidd, The REAL Cheese Monkey, Dragonfly Rider, virtual wenrog and RAPHAELFAN02 for the reviews! Wow 5; think that's almost a record for me! Also feel I need to thank greshunkai for the inspirational review for Cells and Serpents. Hope you I don't disappoint anyone with this next instalment!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Scaling down the side of the building hadn't been easy, but he couldn't help a grim smile of satisfaction; sure those that hunted him wouldn't even think of looking within the exhaust vent set in the otherwise blank wall of the alley. Besides, he knew they'd be using the heat sensors in their goggles, and the warm air from the outlet would help mask his signature. As an added bonus it would keep him nice and warm until his pursuers gave up.

He didn't bother removing the shuko spikes from his left hand, using them to maintain his grip on the metal grate set a few inches within the opening. Making himself as comfortable as he could, pulling himself hard against the metal to avoid being seen and to escape the sharp chill in the night air, he flipped out his PDA. With any luck he might finally get a chance to finish reading the manual for the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer he'd managed to download recently.

Engrossed in checking which gas mixtures he'd guessed correctly for analysing different elements, pleased he'd only gotten one slightly wrong so far, the sudden noise of a large group of punks roaming through the alley below almost made him jump.   
"This is such a crock! We're our own gang, for fucks' sake. I still don't get why we're going along with this crap."   
"'Cos if we don't go to them, they'll come ta us; an' it won't be pretty."   
"You're just packin' your jocks thinkin' 'bout that, aren't ya? Friggin' coward. I don't reckon they're half as tough as everyone makes 'em out ta be."   
"What'd ya call me?" the punk leading the group grabbed his argumentative friend by his jacket, shoving him roughly backwards over a closed dumpster, a dull flicker visible from a blade held at the trapped goons' throat.   
"You ever call me that again; it'll be the last thing you ever say! I've already laid down that we're just going to this thing to hear 'em out; _then I'll_ decide what we're gonna do. You got a problem with that?" the captured punk managed to shake his head "Good."

The leader released his underling, turning to the rest of the troupe; emphasizing his words with jabs from his knife.   
"Anyone else gotta problem?" The muted shuffling and denials from the rest of the gang made it obvious they weren't about to admit to any. With a nod the leader set off walking down the alley, many of his followers giving their vocal comrade a wide berth; leaving him to trail behind nursing his neck.

Sitting still as could be within his hiding spot to avoid being seen, he waited till the group were well out of earshot before pulling out his shell-cell. His call was answered almost immediately, the screen filled by his brothers' face as he hunched over his own handset.   
"What is it Don?" whispered Leo, glancing nervously over his shoulder; obviously he hadn't been caught yet either.   
"Sorry Leo, but I've just spotted a gang of thugs. They seemed to be heading to some kind of meeting; it sounded as if it could be about a turf war or the like. Do you think we should check it out?" Don queried in a hushed voice. Leo scowled briefly as he considered.   
"I saw a large group heading south a few minutes ago. I think they were most of the Red Claw gang… were they the ones you saw?"   
"No, though my lot were heading south too… I think they were a reasonably new collective, nothing I saw really distinguished them as any gang we know."

Leo hummed quietly as he considered for a moment.   
"It may be a good idea to check it out. There could be something we could do to diffuse the situation before anyone innocent gets hurt… Where are you?"   
"Uh uh, I'm not giving up my locale that easily Leo. I'll meet you by the billboard for 'Vinnie's' in a few minutes."   
"Alright, I'll call the others an'… ARRGH!" Don grinned hugely to himself as Leo disappeared from the screen, downed by a flash of orange.

After meeting up as planned; Leo, Don and Mike caught up with Raph, who'd been tracking a gang of his own. Leo hadn't pushed his lecture for his brother over abandoning their exercise to 'find some real action', at least not after he'd been told to 'stow it', in a manner of speaking. He grudgingly had to agree that Raph had saved them a bit of time and trouble in tracking down where these different groups were headed.

The abandoned community hall was a derelict; part of the roof had collapsed a couple of years ago, giving the turtles a good vantage point from which to spy on the proceedings below. The large area was teeming with punks, most wearing gear and images that identified them as belonging to one or other of the local neighbourhood gangs. The chamber was lit with the red glow from a dozen fires burning in drums. However, the stage at one end was darkened, most of the throng seeming to avoid it to warm themselves near the flames, or talk and argue with others.

Leo shifted uneasily, watching from the shadows on the roof. As far as he could see there was no rational explanation for all these punks to congregate here. And if something didn't happen soon to prevent it, it was clear the rivalries between some of the different gangs gathered would soon boil over into violence.

Suddenly the stage was lit with fluorescent lights, so bright that even at his distance Leo was forced to squint briefly as his vision adjusted. Instinctively, all the turtles shrank back from the edge a little as the darkness that hid them was partially stripped away. A few moments after quiet had settled on the horde, a group of around twenty guys stepped out onto the platform. Most were Hispanic; hardly any wore shirts, showing their well muscled physiques adorned with tattoos and piercings. There was no real pattern to how they showed their allegiance, some had it etched on their bodies, others wore ear or nipple rings with a charm. One even had it shaved into his hair. But all of them sported the image of a scorpion somehow.

At the fore stood a wiry guy wearing a sleeveless, open denim shirt that seemed to emphasise rather than obscure the arthropod depicted on his chest; a claw over each pectoral, its tail curled over his abs. His arms were covered in cruder wrought symbols, many from various prisons. Despite being at least a head shorter than most of his comrades he had the unmistakable aura of one that innately demanded respect, or at least deference.

"Listen up, people!" his voice carried easily in the silence that had descended within the hall "You know why you're here; 'cos you're the smart ones. Now all you gotta do is make the smart choice. Just in case you're not clear on what you've gotta decide, it's simple. Join us, or don't. To join us you either become full members of the Scorpions, or keep your own gang and pledge allegiance to us, with a small stipend. We won't interfere with your business; only ask that you respond in full when we call to arms. It's high time the Purple Dragons were taken down. They've controlled this city for too long, interfering with our right to work these streets; _our_ streets. It can only benefit us all to claim back what belongs to us!"

There was a mixed response from the crowd, some whooping and cheering, whilst others muttered between themselves. A hulking goon with a flying eagle tattooed on his bald head stepped up to the edge of the stage.   
"The mob has been trying for years, and hasn't managed to dint the Dragons yet… what makes ya think you can?"   
"_We_ can." the chief explained "The mob are old-school, and too self-absorbed to bother trying anything different, or looking for serious new blood to help 'em out. But with most of the gangs in this city behind us, with our real knowledge of the streets and our sheer numbers, the Dragons don't stand a chance."

"What 'bout all those high-tech weapons an' stuff they got?" was yelled anonymously from somewhere in the crowd.   
"I've got it on good authority that the Dragons' 'sugar daddy', that gave 'em all those toys, is gone for keeps. They may still have a collection of 'em, but they aren't getting anymore. And they don't have those damn ninja guys to back 'em in a fight any longer either. Now's the time to rally and strike 'em down."

The hubbub from the audience rose again for a couple of minutes. Finally a voice sounded over the din from somewhere near the back.   
"What if we don't wanna join ya? What then, huh?" The throng hushed quickly to hear the response from the stage.   
"Easy. If you're not with us, you're against us. We've already got almost every gang on the east-side behind us. The only group that gave us any real trouble was the 'Raiders'." The admission caused a swell of noise from the gathering as everyone had a comment to make on the recent brutal demise of the Corona Raiders. The decapitated heads from the majority of the members of that gang had been found in a dumpster; the cops were still searching for the bodies.

"United we stand. Divided, _you_ fall." the head of the Scorpions pointed emphatically at the crowd "You really don't have anything to lose, and a heap to win. This is a great chance for us all to regain total control of our territories; do things our own way again without the Dragons dictating where and what we can do. The only reason Hun still owns this city is 'cos there's no-one that's had the guts to take him down; 'till now."

Leo was distracted from the speech momentarily by a low growl from his brother next to him. Even in the shadow that hid them he could see Raphs' knuckles pale as he gripped the edge of a roof tile. The spokesman continued,   
"Yeah, he's a force to be reckoned with; and he was one of the best street fighters this city has ever seen, in his day. But he's still human, he still bleeds. All it's gonna take is one bullet, or blade; and one man with the will and balls to use it, to take him down. Huns' greatest weapon is his reputation, but the Scorpions won't be told who, or what, to fear. We won't allow mere tales to weaken our resolve, turn us to yellow-bellied cowards, like _everyone_ else that's ever faced him off!" Leo didn't bother turning at the sound of clay cracking.

"His own followers are still afraid of him, but he is starting to lose their respect. From what I've heard, he can't even control his own kid anymore! If we strike soon, take out Hun before the Dragons can organise their own coup, they won't have anyone ready to take on their leadership; leaving them weak and vulnerable. With a bit of persistence we could bring the whole gang down for keeps!" The speaker waited for the inevitable clamour from his audience to swell and settle again.   
"You've got three days to decide what you're gonna do. Any gang that isn't with us by then…" he swept his hands apart with a definitive slicing motion, making his point and bringing his speech to an end; the lights illuminating the stage dimming suddenly as the group sauntered off the stage.

The turtles moved silently away from the edge, though their caution wasn't necessary as the noise from the throng below covered any sound they may have made. Using hand signals Leo directed them to the point of the roof furthest from the buildings' doors, several groups of punks already starting to make their way from the venue. Despite Leos' unspoken command to lay low, Raph paced back and forth for a minute. With a snarl he drew a sai and started heading away from his brothers, Leos' hand on his arm pulled him up short.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Leo in a harsh whisper.   
"I'm gonna _kill_ that little shit!" Raph growled menacingly "Show 'im just what kinda yellow… Grrr! There's no way I'm gonna stand for this crap!" Leo opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Mike soothing,   
"Chill bro! I don't think he meant _you_ specifically; he's just tryin' to talk up their own chances. Don't let it get to ya, an' take it personally."   
"Don't let it…?" Raph snapped, wrenching his arm free "Screw you guys, you were all for getting' involved in the last gang war; why don't we knock this one on the head now? 'sides Hun's _mine_! I shoulda killed _him_ when I had the damn chance to!"

Looking at his brothers' hunched back, shoulders tense as he breathed steam into the chill night air, Leo knew he was taking a risk with his next comment.   
"I thought you didn't because of T…" Raphs' finger suddenly pointing mere millimetres from his nose (though Leo was glad it wasn't a sai) cut him off as effectively as his brothers' vicious glare.   
"Don't you _dare_ bring her into it!" Raph muttered savagely "She understands; that's more than I can say for _you_!"

Leo held his calm expression as he faced off Raphs' anger for a moment, breaking the silence to state quietly,   
"I _do_ understand she won't thank you for it; she still loves him." Leo stood implacable as Raph worked his hands and mouth in rage. Finally he settled for darkly uttering,   
"Fuck you." before spinning on his heel and stalking off across the roof top, lashing out at a hapless vent pipe as he passed. Leo stopped Mike from stepping after his brother; watching in silence as the top section of the pipe, now at a right angle to its base, succumbed to the damage and gravity, breaking away to roll down the roof to come to rest in the gutter. Luckily the noise didn't seem to draw any unwarranted attention, and neither did Raph as he leapt onto the next building and quickly vanished among the shadows.

"Do you think it's wise to let him go like that?" queried Don softly.   
"No. But he needs to blow off some steam and hopefully do some serious thinking. He needs to realise just how badly he can get hurt if he's not careful. And if he was going to do something truly stupid he would have headed straight down below to take on the Scorpions." Leo assured himself, as well as his brothers.   
"He did have a point though Leo," interjected Mike "why don't we do something about this? They _were_ talking war down there."   
"I don't condone what they're doing, and we'll keep on our toes to try to make sure it doesn't get out of hand and involve too many bystanders; but we can't fight every battle Mike. There's always going to be gangs vying for power in this city, and I don't think we're directly responsible for it this time; they're just trying to take advantage of what they see as an opportunity. Besides, 'the enemy of our enemy…'"

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The lair was almost completely dark when he arrived home. Only the light in his bedroom was still on, the door left open to allow the glow to escape and spill out of the alcove and part-way down the stairs. He was actually a little surprised, he had been expecting either Leo, or his sensei, to be waiting up for him in 'concern'; in other words, to give him another useless lecture.

Spying the time on the LCD for the DVD player however, he was grateful they'd decided to get some rest before they'd be up again in just a couple of hours for breakfast. It let him do the same. Still, he shut the door and moved with all the stealth he could muster, it wouldn't do to wake anyone now and risk getting his scolding any sooner.

As he crested the top of the steps he spotted a movement in the shadows where the ledge continued on past the first alcove entrance. Instinctively he tensed, half-drawing a sai before the realised it was Tau stood there, wearing the white singlet and shorts she used as pyjamas.

"Hey." she whispered with a tentative smile as he finished climbing the stairs, not meeting her eyes as he stopped in front of her with his arms tightly crossed.   
"What's up?" he grumped, not really in the mood for a talking to from anyone right now. Tau shuffled slightly before answering.   
"When the others' came back without you, I was… worried. They wouldn't really give me any details, but Mike said someone had… annoyed you?" Raph grimaced, he didn't need the reminder.

"Ya don't have ta worry 'bout me, I can take care of myself. You know that." he huffed.   
"I know." she conceded quickly "But you've been gone for hours. Is there something you wanna… talk about?"   
"Augh, there was just this moron who was sayin'…" finally meeting her eyes the warm look of attentive compassion she had stopped him in his tracks. He could almost taste his foot. He'd come that close to complaining to her about someone else who wanted to see her father dead, and the fact he was worried they just might get to Hun before him! He was grateful she understood it was something he'd sworn to do, and hadn't tried too hard to sway him from it; but she surely wouldn't be too sympathetic to the particular plight he had at the moment. He shook his head, irritated with himself.

"It was nothin' really." he grumbled, inspecting the wall again. Tau eyed him dubiously.   
"It must have been something to make you want to run off…" her gentle probe cut off by his sudden glower.   
"I didn't _run_. I just wanted some time to myself. Is that too damn much to ask, huh?" he snapped in a coarse whisper.   
"Oh… uh, no." she murmured to the floor, shifting awkwardly "I just… guess I'll leave ya in peace then… Goodnight."

Raph watched as she shuffled down the ledge to disappear into the next passage without looking back at him. Part of him wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind as he was too distracted berating himself. He hadn't meant to be harsh with her; but the frustration he felt at the Scorpions' plans, his brothers' interference, and himself had just sort of… vented.

Rolling his head back and giving his forehead a rough massage Raph figured his work was done for tonight, there wasn't much else he could do to ensure a crappy day of lectures and cold shoulders tomorrow, so he may as well just head to bed. A few moments after his door closed with a solid 'clack', plunging the lair into almost total darkness, a relieved sigh and quiet 'click' of a shogi screen closing sounded below.

In the room opposite from Raphs', Leo saw the light seeping under his own bedroom door vanish shortly after hearing the noise from his brothers' door. With a sigh of his own he rolled over and finally managed to fall asleep, content everyone was home and safe.

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A/N: Thought I'd better give some explanation for the 'packing your jocks' quote, just 'cos I think this is a fairly Australian euphemism since CPQ hadn't heard it before. If anyone can give me a more 'New Yorker' equivalent I'd be grateful! Anywho, I believe 'jocks' in the US tends to refer to sporty idiots, and it does here too; but it is also slang for men's underwear. I've heard 'packing your jocks' used here as both a compliment and a derogatory term, depending on which side of the jocks are implied as being packed, and with what! I'm starting to think that having a dirty mind is essential for understanding Aussie slang… o.O


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Many thanks once again to CPQ for beta-reading. Saved me from confusing everyone with too many Aussie-isms this time round, muchly appreciated! BTW, for any Aussies reading this; 'hot rods' are 'twiggy sticks'!

Also, a massive thank you to virtual wenrog, artykidd and Dragonfly Rider for the reviews, love getting 'em! And to everyone mentioned above for helping me out with ideas for Aprils' attire. I got a heap of great suggestions from everyone, but could only pick one, so I hope you all like what I managed to pull together for her in the end.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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"This is so stupid." grumbled Raph, looking at the untidy bundle of white linen in his hands with disgust.   
"C'mon bro, get into the spirit will ya?" prompted Mike, enthusiastically shaking out his own costume and pulling it over his head. After fiddling about for a minute to get it sitting just right, adding the finishing touch of a light chain running from wrist to wrist, he turned to his family with a flourish. "So, what d'ya think?"   
"Well, 'technically' ghosts are meant to be white, Mikey." Don deadpanned.   
"What're ya talking about? It is white! Kinda…" reasoned Mike.   
"Ugh, didn't you wash that after last year? Look, you've still got chocolate stains all down it!" exclaimed Leo in revulsion.

Mike peered down at himself, smoothing the front of the costume with the mitten-like coverings for his hands he'd sown into the sheet a few years ago. Having the crude gloves allowed him to grab that much more candy at once!   
"What? You mean this?" he pointed to a series of dark stains down his chest that actually started at one eye hole "It just adds character dude, like dried blood or something!"   
"Uh-huh." Leo uttered, unimpressed.

"Well c'mon guys! Aren't ya gonna get ready?" Mike tried in vain to mobilise his kin, failing to move either Don or Leo off the couch with his shooing.   
"It takes less than a minute to put our costumes on Mike. Not even Casey's ready yet! We may as well wait a while in comfort, don't ya think?" contended Don, settling deeper in the couch as he flicked through the TV channels.   
"But these _are_ comfy!" whined Mike, surreptitiously trying to shift the eye holes cut in his sheet into a slightly less annoying position "An' what if some kids come by trick or treating, huh?"

"Mike!" Leo rolled his eyes. "It's way too early for any kids to be coming by yet. Besides, I'm sure the two seconds it'll take Master Splinter to pull his sheet over his head will be less of a bother than trying to play 'Go' with it on." he nodded towards his father and Professor Honeycutt seated at the side table, seemingly ignoring the boys to concentrate on their strategy "And the girls are bound to take an age getting ready. So there's no real point to us getting dressed yet. Is there?"

Mike slumped in dejection as Leo turned back to the TV, neither bothering about the answer to his rhetorical question.   
"Hey!" exclaimed Raph, leaning over the back of the couch "There was football on the other channel, go back will ya?"   
"Hang on a moment, I just want to see what this is…" murmured Don, fascinated by a show featuring a weedy guy in a lab coat stood in front of a shiny machine that sported way too many buttons, screens and whizzy things for Raphs' liking at the moment.   
"This is just boring crud!" he protested after a couple of minutes of not understanding one darn thing the weedy guy had said "Turn it over to the game will ya?"   
"Shhh…!" Don waved him away distractedly.

Leo rubbed his forehead, trying to stretch his patience as a tug-o-war broke out over the remote, causing the TV to flicker between random channels. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed his father look up, distracted by the noisy argument. Before his sensei could act Leo took matters into his own hands, literally; snatching the remote forcefully from his brothers and emphatically turning the TV to the news, and down in volume to boot, before tucking the device under his leg where it was safe from marauders.

Despite the disappointed and evil looks he received from his respective brothers, Splinters' smile and nod of gratitude was enough to give Leo a smug smirk, and to prevent any reprisals.   
"Grr, I'm grabbin' a drink…" Raph muttered darkly, stalking through the archway to raid Caseys' beer supply.

"I don't get it." Mike sighed dramatically as he plonked himself down at the kitchen table, Raph ignoring him to continue rummaging through the contents of Aprils' fridge "We all used to be so excited about this kinda thing… what's changed, huh?" Mike tossed his costume over the chair next to him and pouted as he wedged his hand under his cheek, leaning his elbow on the table.   
"Uhhh, we grew up?" Raph quipped sarcastically, dumping a small bag of hot rods and a couple of cans of beer.   
"That's no excuse!" exclaimed Mike, snagging a large handful of the spicy treats whilst Raph was busy pulling in his chair "Look at Ape 'n' Case; they're older than us and still get into this stuff!"   
"Ape does." Raph corrected; his tone almost as sour as the look he gave his brother for stealing half his snack.

"Yeah, well a word to the wise my bro, you'd better at least _act_ like you're enjoyin' tonight…" Mike grinned at the baffled scowl Raph gave him "'cos I know Tau's lookin' forward to it. Do you know they don't really 'do' Halloween in Australia? How sad is that? This is the first time she's been able to get dressed up an' go out trick or treating since she was a little kid! 'Sides I'm sure you're gonna like her costume…" The way Mike left his sentence hanging was enough for Raph to perk his head up and give his brother a searching glare.   
"Why?" he asked cautiously, sure his brother had something hidden up his sleeve, so to speak.   
"'Cos she came ta me for help with it; she wasn't sure what to wear… to 'make things up' with ya."

"Huh?" confused, Raph was starting to get seriously irked by the sly grin on his brothers' face.   
"For some weird reason, I just can't understand, she gets all edgy when you won't talk to her about stuff. And you _have_ been acting like a jerk all week; funnily enough since that night we overheard the Scorpions' plans for the Dragons." Mike shrugged "But somehow she's got it stuck in her head that _she's_ done something to annoy ya." Raph briskly shook his head, muttering,   
"That's stupid, _she_ hasn't done anythin'."   
"That's what I told 'er! But she reckons every time she tries to talk to you about it ya brush her off."   
"Do not! 'Sides, we've already talked about it… 'bout her Dad an' stuff anyway. I know how she feels about 'im. How c'n I tell her there's a new gang out after Hun without upsettin' her? It's probably best she doesn't know… You haven't told her, have ya?" Raph asked nervously.   
"Nah." assured Mike "I didn't know how to tell her about that; don't think anyone else does either. That should be your job anyway, you being her 'best friend' an' all, so I just sorta 'steered' the conversation away from it."

Raph studied the contents of his can for a moment, though he couldn't find any answers there. Part of him realised Mikes' advice was true; it didn't feel right keeping things from Tau. Especially something like this that he knew she'd want to know, but how to tell her about it? Then another thought occurred; if she'd been chatting to Mike…   
"So what _did_ you tell her?"   
"Just that it's somethin' we've learnt ta live with; that you get into a funk an' act like a _real_ short-tempered, conceited, pig-headed moron every now an' then." Mike continued on, seemingly oblivious to the threat in his brothers' eyes narrowing "I assured her it usually only lasts a week or so at most, an' lettin' ya take it out on a few street punks tends to help. But you'd better think of something to tell her soon. After all, you don't want her to keep coming to chat ta me instead of you, do ya? Seriously, it'd only be a matter of time before she realised how much more level-headed, better looking, mature, funnier, smarter, stronger…"

"Hey guys! What's up?" asked Casey, wandering past to the fridge with barely a glance at Mike gurgling as Raph administered a harsh noogie to his head-locked brother.   
"Nuthin'" grumped Raph as he sat back in his seat. Mike took a few moments, whimpering slightly as he nursed his neck and the top of his head. He didn't bother trying anything more to elicit sympathy from his current audience; he knew it was a lost cause with these two. He did, however, eye Casey dubiously once he'd recovered enough to get a good look at him.

"Hey, I thought you were gettin' ready?" Mike asked. Casey looked mortally offended before answering,   
"I am!" Even Raph rolled his eyes at that. "What?" protested Casey.   
"How's that different from what you normally wear?" Mike demanded in exasperation.   
"HEY! I've gone to a lotta trouble this year!" Casey objected "Look, I've put rips an' blood stains on my singlet and jeans. I've even spattered red paint on my old mask." he tipped his head forward to prove his point and show the hockey mask he had sitting on his hair "And I managed to find this on sale at a junk shop a few weeks ago!" he stated proudly as he held up a toy chainsaw, also liberally decorated with red paint.   
"Ugh, man, you go as 'Jason' every year. Can't ya think of something more original?" grumbled Raph. Casey glared at him askance.   
"Like you c'n talk… 'ghost boy'!" he taunted.

Half an hour, and a few light bruises for some, later; all the boys were gathered around the TV once more when the bedroom door finally opened. With a flourish April stepped out in a skin tight, light green full body suit covered in swirls of gold glitter, her make up following the theme. The pale brown 'leaves' of material that made up her short skirt enhanced her figure rather than hid it. More of the imitation leaves were twined in her hair as it tumbled down loose from a golden tiara, almost to the elaborate gossamer wings on her back.   
"Well, what do you think?" she asked her silently staring audience "Do I do 'Titania' proud?"   
"Who? You just look like a really hot fairy ta me!" grinned Casey, his smile faltering a little as April dead-panned him to light groans from some of the others in the room.   
"Yes my dear, you do." assured Splinter with a warm smile, getting a grin from April in response.

The brightness of Aprils' costume contrasted starkly with Taus', as the younger girl shuffled out of the bedroom behind her friend. Raph suddenly found it difficult to swallow as his eyes travelled up the knee high black leather boots, almost seeming to merge with the pants, corset, jacket, gloves and balaclava in the same close-fitting material. It was topped off with a headband that had been wrapped in black electrical tape, two small black cardboard ears attached to it. The only colour present was the incongruous orange banding on the handle of a prop whip made from black plaited cord, and the crimson eye shadow and lipstick she wore.

The aspect that caught his attention the most however, was the plunging neckline of the corset. He almost fancied he could see her small tattoo, the one no-one else knew about. He was also darn sure the image of the lacing that criss-crossed the 'V' wasn't gonna vanish from his minds' eye anytime soon.

"Niiice!" drawled Mike, giving a 'thumbs up'. Raph turned to glare at his brother, his look turning to confusion as Mike elbowed him, tipping his head slightly but insistently in Taus' direction. After a moment Raph clicked, turning back to the girls.   
"Oh, uh-huh!" he nodded in agreement with an over-bright smile. Tau stepped forward nervously.   
"Do you really like it?" she asked uneasily.   
"Yeah!" blurted Raph, sounding like an idiot even to himself he tried to regain some sense of decorum "Uh, that is, I… ah, you look… great! Yeah, great…" he petered out with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, good!" Tau smiled in relief "I might do the jacket up when we head out though, I wasn't expecting this to be so low-cut!" she confessed, tugging the jacket closed a little.   
"Don't you dare!" exclaimed April, pulling the younger girl to face her and fussing with the jacket till it sat where it had been to start with. "You can't just dress up you know, you have to _act_ the part too! And Catwoman wouldn't hide herself away like that!" she admonished.   
"I just feel so… exposed!" protested Tau.   
"If you've got it, flaunt it." advised April "Besides, you never know who you might meet. You might catch the attention of some really sweet guy…" Tau interrupted with a quick shake of her head.   
"I'm not interested in a 'boyfriend' right now."

"Why not?" prodded April.   
"It's too dangerous for a start! It's not like I can go out on a date or anything. What if I get spotted?"   
"I'm sure you're father's not gonna be looking for you in a nice restaurant, or on Broadway or anything. Besides, with a little inventive make-up I'm sure most of his goons wouldn't recognise you anyway."   
"What's the point? I'm just gonna be leaving…" put Tau, April dismissing the argument with a shake of her head.   
"Not for months probably, at your age most relationships don't even last that long! I'm sure if you're up-front about that, it wouldn't be a huge turn-off for most guys."   
"Well maybe…, but, ah…, it's not like I have the money to go out…" Tau tried again. April rolled her eyes,   
"I'm sure we could find you someone chivalrous enough to cover the tab. That's still the usual way things are done here, anyway! Besides, it'd do you good to get out, have some fun and see the sights a bit. You're not planning to hide out in the sewers the whole time you're here are you?" Tau shrugged lightly in response, unable to think of anymore excuses.

"Tch. Girl, you need a life." admonished April gently, hands on hips "And I'm gonna make sure you get one whether you like it or not! Believe me; you'll thank me for it in the end. Now come on, you can help me get the candy and stuff ready. No!" she forced Mike to step back with a pointed finger.   
"Awww!"   
"I want _some_ left for any kids coming by tonight. You can just stay put." April grinned, shooing Tau in front of her on her way to the kitchen. Casey and Don quickly followed the girls out of the room.

Raph slumped dejectedly against the end of the couch, barely turning his head to acknowledge Leo as he gripped him consolingly on the shoulder.   
"It _would_ be for the best, Raph." he murmured, giving Raphs' arm a final light squeeze before making his way over to pull his neatly folded costume out of the cardboard box they had all been stored in. Raph directed his grimace to the floor, until Mike leaned over to whisper in his ear. He wasn't in the mood for jokes right now, but Mike surprised him.   
"Don't listen to 'em bro. The _real_ reason she's not interested in findin' another boyfriend isn't _too_ hard to figure." Raphs' scowl again turned to one of confusion. Mikes' wink didn't do much to clear it, but Raph found himself feeling a little better despite his reservations.

In the kitchen April quickly set her team to work; Casey fetching the bags of candy hidden in various spots around the place, Tau emptying the bags out into a large bowl in between cutting up fruit for a salad, whilst she and Don prepared a couple of rolls of sushi and a large pot of green tea. As they finished up April pulled a package out of the dresser draw.   
"Here are those books you ordered off eBay, Donnie." she smiled.   
"Cool, thanks April!" enthused Don, emptying the parcel on the table and going through the small stack of battered text books with the excitement of a kid with a new toy.   
"How did you manage that?" asked Tau "Don't you need a credit card or something to order on-line?"   
"Yeah, April lets me use her details." Don grinned at April in appreciation, getting a warm smile in return.

"It's no problem Donnie, you usually pay me back before I've even realised you've made a charge to my card!" April turned to Tau, explaining "Splinter and the other guys have my details too, mainly for any emergencies. Not that they've ever really used it. The only rule I have is that any amounts charged for stuff that's not an emergency get paid back within a month, so I can make the repayment. I'm happy for you to charge anything you need, so long as you follow the same rule."   
"Oh, thanks, but I don't think I'll use it…"   
"Well, that's an open offer." assured April "Besides I've been meaning to let you know about this too." she passed the empty package to Tau, pointing to the label on the front "This is the post office box we use. I've made sure it's impossible for anybody to track our actual address from this; with the enemies we've got I try to keep our profile as low as possible. But I was thinking; if you want your friends back home to send you anything, get them to send it to this box. I check it every few days or so."

"Thanks." said Tau quietly, in sincere gratitude.   
"It's no problem." smiled April "Raph's mentioned that you feel a bit homesick now and then, and I know sometimes it's just the little things you miss that make it hard."   
"Yeah…" sighed Tau "Maybe, once I can afford the postage, I'll get my mates to send over some of my CDs. Heh, you know back home they're always going on about how well different Aussie bands are doing in the States, but I swear you never hear 'em on the radio here. I do miss listening to 'em."   
"Well, I'm just happy to help out. After all, that's what friends are for."

Don quickly dressed in his costume as April fussed about ensuring Splinter and the Professor had everything they could want to make their evening comfortable. Tau couldn't help but grin goofily at the sight of her friends draped in sheets; amazed that Mike had managed to embellish such a simple outfit. It was pretty clear who was under the other two; the one stood stoically in pristine white with something protruding over their shoulders _had_ to be Leo. Raph obviously hadn't bothered folding his to store it, and seemed to be hunched over, not meeting her eyes… again. That had become an annoying habit of his over the past few days.

"Dags." she murmured affectionately, with a warm grin. Her smile faltered a little as she noticed Raph shifting uneasily. Deciding to bite the bullet she moved over to face him.   
"You ok?" she asked quietly.   
"Yeah. I'm just… ah, these aren't the greatest costumes, huh?" he muttered to the floor. Tau shrugged with a cheeky grin.   
"I don't know… they do look, 'cute'." Even with his face covered there was no denying Raphs' look of utter mortification.   
"'_Cute'_?" he asked in abhorrence.   
"Oh, ok, 'classic' then; is that better?" Tau amended. She figured it was since he settled for grumbling under his breath for a moment. Her soft giggle drowned out by Mike loudly announcing it was high time they got their show on the road.

Leaving Splinter and the Professor to an evening of peace and handing out lollies, the rest of the group followed Mikes' lead to the elevator, heading to the top floor to start their acquisition of sweets from every other apartment in the building they could. By the time they reached ground level they had an impressive collection of treats, Tau glad to see Raph seem to drop some of the broodiness he'd had lately to join in the fun.

Heading out to the Battle-shell, Raph and Tau brought up the rear; busy trading sweets. They finished up as the rest of the group filed into the back of the van.   
"You sure 'bout that? Two for one aint exactly fair."   
"Yeah, give me chocolate over liquorice any day. 'Sides it's worth it to see you happy." Tau smiled hopefully, giving Raph a catch in his chest as he realised just how much he'd been avoiding talking to her lately. Feeling like an idiot he decided to set things right, catching her by the wrist before she turned to hop in the van.

"Hey. I just wanna let ya know… I, uh, this past week I guess I've been a bit rough with ya, but it's nothin' to do…"   
"You guys coming?" interrupted Don, hanging out the door before Mike pulled him back in. Looking back at Tau, Raph noticed she was shivering slightly.   
"Cold?" he asked in concern.   
"Yeah, a little. Little nervous too." she shrugged "Last time I went out on the streets it didn't work out too well…" she murmured, dropping her gaze.   
"Hey." Raph soothed, giving the top of her arms a squeeze "This time I'm with ya, and I won't let anyone hurt ya. Ok?" he sincerely promised.   
"'k." she smiled gratefully.

The warmth of his smile was clear in his eyes as he returned her look, almost giving into the urge to pull her into a hug before he remembered hadn't finished what he'd been trying to say.   
"Uh, I wanted to tell ya…"   
"Ahem. Will you two get in the van now?" Leo ordered, more than requested, from the open rear door.   
"Yeah, 'course Leo." Tau lilted, turning back Raph to whisper quickly "We can talk later?" Raph was surprised at the smile of relief she gave him as he nodded, before she turned and hopped up the step.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: What's this? An UPDATE? I must be imagining things, lol! This chapter is dedicated to my new kiddo, Toby. Here's hoping he's as close to his brothers as the TMNT are... but since I have to keep fighting the other two off him 'cos they love giving him big hugs all the time I think he's off to a good start.

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading, you do a great job chica. Many thanks too for the reviews from virtual wenrog, artykidd and The Incredible Dancing Betty, love getting 'em!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either. Unfortunatley this is true of the quote from Splinter in this chapter; it is attributed to Judith Viorst.

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It had started out almost a decade before with a small number of independent, local confectioners banding together to pay the exorbitant booking fees for the use of a section of Central Park for a few hours. To them getting exposure to the public, and thus even a small edge over their mainstream rivals had been worth the cost and putting aside of their own rivalries; for one night of the year at least, and what better night than Halloween to hand out free samples of candy?

Of course it hadn't taken too long for the event to become popular and for the major players in the market to stamp their authority on it. Each year it had grown larger until it had become a full-blown festival. It even sported a free concert of local up and coming talent this year, along with rides, a 'side show alley' and, of course, stalls selling and occasionally giving out samples of every sugar based treat imaginable.

To Mike it was heaven on earth. And despite their attempts at 'mature' attitudes, he was darn sure his brothers were grinning like idiots under their sheets too. More than the abundance of treats, the once a year opportunity to be able to freely mingle with the crowds, being able to talk to people and feel almost accepted instead of shunned had always been most appreciated by him and his brothers.

Even Leo only took half an hour to ease up on keeping an eagle eye on the whole group, though he still banned his brothers from the more exuberant rides; worried about their costumes getting entangled or blown off.   
"But everyone will just think we're in costume anyway!" Mike had plied his case, desperately petitioning to have a go on the roller-coaster.   
"Just as others can't recognise us, we have no idea who else is here tonight. What if that guy in the Frankenstein suit over there is a 'Dragon', or working for Bishop? Halloween or not, I don't think it'd take much for anyone like that to pick us for what we are. It's just too much of a risk Mikey. Besides, we don't have the money to waste."

It didn't take Mike long to recover from his disappointment, they were pretty much the same arguments he'd heard every other year anyway. Despite the restrictions the whole group had made the most of the outing, stretching it for hours until even Mike was relieved to leave behind the crowded hustle and bustle. Emerging on the far side of the festival they had opted for taking the long way back to the Battle-shell through the surrounding darkened parkland, instead of pushing back through the throng.

In no rush to end the evening they all wandered slowly through the gardens. Leo deliberately fell back a little, ensuring Don and Mike stayed with him, to give April and Casey the opportunity for a little privacy as they walked ahead; too engrossed in their own laughter and conversation to notice their friends dropping back. Leos' ulterior motive was to make sure Don didn't get too down over the way April clung to Casey, and with a bit of distance between them Don was paying more attention to Mikes' running commentary. Secondly, Raph and Tau were trailing even further behind, and whilst he was relieved the recent tension between them seemed to have evaporated tonight there was still no way in heck he was gonna let _them_ out of his sight.

"It's not fair, or at least it aint right! You know most of the stalls were only givin' away samples if ya bought something. It just goes against the whole spirit of Halloween if ya ask me!" Mike rambled, peering into his disappointingly spacious bag as he held it up one handed. To Leo his voice sounded suspiciously muffled.   
"Mike, you're not eating chocolate are you? I told you to wait until we got home. If you make yourself sick this year you will be suffering in solitude, 'cos I'm not going to stay up with you this time."

Mike made an odd sucking sound before answering.   
"It's not chocolate Leo! See?" A half-eaten candy apple appeared from under Mikes' sheet.   
"Where did you get that?" Leo asked in exasperation as the treat disappeared from view again "You didn't steal it did you?"   
"Nah! 'Course not! It fell off the vendors table. Lucky I managed to catch it or it would have been thrown out. Hey, if I'd tried putting it back they coulda caught me and _thought_ I was trying to steal it! So I figured this was the safest, least wasteful option. I really didn't have much choice, Leo!" Don chuckled at his brothers' excuse as Leo groaned resignedly, both sure the treat had probably been 'persuaded' to fall in the first place.

"'sides, I doubt Tau would let me suffer alone. She's got almost as big a sweet tooth as me! Hmmm, how long d'ya think we could share a bucket before it drove Raph nuts?" Mike cheekily wondered.   
"Why would it annoy Raph?" Leo demanded shortly "They've always told me they're friends only."   
"Yeah, right!" scoffed Mike.   
"Have either of them told you anything different?" Leo asked; his tone deadly serious. Mike shrugged to try to dispel the feeling he was suddenly treading on thin ice.   
"Nah, they give me the same story…"   
"How about you Don?" Leo cut-off his brothers' ramble in his quest to get to the bottom of the matter. He'd come to his own conclusions regarding his brothers' relationship with Tau long ago, but was curious what the rest of his siblings suspected, or knew.   
"No. I haven't really asked them about it, but Tau is usually pretty adamant to point out they're friends whenever Raph comes up in our conversation." answered Don.

"See?" Mike interjected.   
"'See' what?" demanded Leo.   
"Me thinks they doth protest too much!"   
"You think they are lying to us?"   
"No, not really. At least no more than they're decievin' themselves. I don't think they mean to lie about it, they just don't wanna admit it. Don't see why, it's so obvious!"   
"How?" Leo asked warily.   
"The way they look at each other, when they don't think anyone else will notice. 'specially the other one!"   
"Actually…" Don pondered, the corner of his sheet thoughtfully rubbing his ghostly chin "I have caught Raph looking at her in a longing kinda way on occasion. I haven't seen it so much from Tau though."   
"Yeah, well she is more subtle about it." explained Mike "But you'll see it if ya look for it. There's heaps of other times I've been certain there's more goin' on than what they say. I can't really say why, it's just lots of little things I guess."

Leo looked back at the pair in question as a thoughtful silence fell. They were trailing behind a little further than the last time he'd checked on them. From the expression on Taus' face it looked more like they were sharing a joke than whispering sweet nothings. They weren't hugging, or even holding hands; Tau had hers tucked snugly in her jacket pockets. Still, there seemed to be something intimate in the way they meandered along, leaning shoulder to shoulder with their heads tilted together slightly. Leo wasn't sure if they meant to separate themselves from the rest of the group, or if they simply hadn't noticed; too caught up in their own conversation to care.

'Lots of little things indeed.' thought Leo grimly, pondering how to deal with the situation. He couldn't deny the evening had been a welcome respite from Raphs' grouchy attitude of late. Would he risk a return to that if he disturbed them now? He decided he'd allow them to fall back one more meter at most, so long as they didn't try to snuggle any closer together, before he'd have to intervene.

"I don't see what the problem is anyway." Mike continued relentlessly, as if the minutes' silence had never been "I reckon they make a great couple. And just think, if they do hook up, it'll be like we finally get a sister!" Leo and Don shared a pained look behind Mikes' head. A sister had been close to the top of the list in Mikes' letters to Santa every year when they'd been kids.   
"A sister huh?" teased Don "I've been starting to think you liked her more than that yourself, the way you two carry on together sometimes."   
"I've noticed that too." Leo darkly agreed "Why flirt like that if you want her and Raph to get together?"   
"'Cos it's fun! They know it's nothin' serious; Tau laid down the ground-rule about _that_ pretty early on. Plus it winds up Raph, and helps him out."   
"That's a paradoxical statement, Mike." said Don.   
"Huh?"   
"How can annoying Raph help him?" Don clarified.   
"Oh. Well, I guess annoyin' him doesn't help _him_, but its sure fun for me! And havin' a little competition has always been a great motivator for him. Lately, or at least before he decided to become 'Mister Moody' this week, he's been joinin' in anyway. Guess he figures if we're all just having fun he can get away with sayin' a bit more and not get into too much trouble for it. I reckon she does let 'im get away with a bit more too! I always seem to cop a put-down or whack before he does anyways…"

"It needs to stop, Mike." Leo interrupted harshly "You shouldn't be encouraging them at all!"   
"Why not? What've you got against Tau anyway, Leo?" demanded Mike.   
"I don't have anything 'against' Tau." Leo explained shortly "I just can't see any way it wouldn't end badly if she were to become more than just a friend to him."   
"Oh, so you wouldn't have a problem with it if she liked me? Or you?" Mike asked pointedly.   
"Yes, Mike. I would. I'd feel the same way, no matter which of us was involved."

Leo could sense Mike sullenly brooding under his costume, picturing his brothers' pout clearly in his mind. He took advantage of the moment of quiet to check on Raph and Tau again. They'd used half of their meter of leeway, but weren't leaning on each other anymore. Instead Tau was looking at Raph as if she had a slight doubt for his sanity. Before Leo could give her expression any more thought Mike disturbed him with another question.   
"Would you still be against it if it were another girl then?"

Pondering for a moment Leo sighed in resignation before he quietly answered.   
"Probably."   
"No fair Leo!" Mike immediately protested "You sayin' none of us should _ever_ have a girlfriend?"   
"I'm saying; it would only be a matter of time before any girl would want more than we could give them. Inevitably they would leave; it would only be natural once they decided they wanted a normal, committed, safe relationship. And realistically none of us can provide that, no matter how good our intentions. So, if it is only going to end in heart-break for us, why set ourselves up for the hurt in the first place?"

"Because maybe, just maybe, you're being totally stupid." accused Mike bluntly, continuing on before Leo could retort "You're looking at it all too logically. And while I admit I don't know for sure, I don't think love has _anything_ to do with logic. You just have to follow your heart and enjoy what ya can outta life! Besides, you can't '_not_ do' something just 'cos ya might get hurt. That doesn't make any sense! If that were true why do we bother trainin' everyday, huh?"   
"Our training helps to _prevent_ us getting hurt Mikey." Leo argued.   
"Whatever." Mike shrugged dismissively "But I also don't think any of us would be so naïve as to get together with a girl thinkin' it would be 'forever' straight off. You never know what's gonna happen tomorrow; it could end for all sorts of reasons. The same goes for every other person on the planet, and it doesn't stop them!"   
"Mike does have a point there." Don interjected softly. Leo shook his head in frustration; did he really have to point out that they weren't _like_ 'every other person'? Why couldn't they see the obvious? He wasn't out to stop them enjoying life, he just didn't want them to be wounded by it. Riding a train was fun, but no-one in their right mind would step in front of one.

"Anyway…" continued Mike "Raph knows the deal with Tau, and if he wants to go ahead and enjoy what they've got while he can, I'm all for it. Besides, as soon as those two kiss I'm asking Angelina Jolie out on a date!"   
"What?" exclaimed Don, almost laughing in disbelief "She's kinda 'taken', Mikey! Not to mention out of our league."   
"Hmpf! Brad Pitt's got nothin' on me! And if Raph c'n find a girl that likes him… _any_ girl, then that surely means we can set _our_ sights a little higher!"

Leo groaned, shaking his head against the hand he pushed against his forehead. He supposed he should be grateful for Mikes' knack for turning a serious argument absurd; at least it stopped things getting too heated. In his frustration he glared over his shoulder, stopping dead in his tracks at what he saw. Mike and Don stopped short too, turning to see what had caught Leos' attention.

Raph and Tau were a small distance further back than Leo had anticipated, mainly because they'd stopped walking within the last minute or so. Stood facing each other Tau looked utterly horrified. It was the last thing Leo had expected to see on her face tonight.   
"Oh crud!" swore Mike softly "He's not tellin' her about the Scorpions _now_ is he? Scratch what I said about none of us bein' naïve, 'cos he seriously needs to buy a clue if he thinks that's a good way to end today! That's not what I meant when I told him he needs to talk about it with her asap. Sheesh, there's always tomorrow!"   
"I'd better go sort it out." sighed Leo, Mikes' hand on his chest stopping him mid-step.   
"Just give 'em a minute, see how it works out. Ok?" Reluctantly Leo conceded with a small nod.

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Raph _had_ been grinning like an idiot under his sheet for most of the evening. Deciding to take Mikes' advice he'd put his worries aside to concentrate on having some fun. To begin with it had been a little hard; his fists had begun to ache as he glared back at the occasional guy that gave Taus' costume an appreciative glance. Only one had had the nerve to approach her, with a crude pick-up line. Before he could get close enough to rearrange the guys' face, Tau had responded with what Raph had considered a very 'Cat-womanish' retort concerning just _why_ the guy would need a '_little_ pussy', though he doubted DC comics could ever publish the language she used. But it was enough to force the man make a quick retreat, and the contents of Raphs' chest melt and dribble down to his toes.

"Gees, how do guys like that ever get lucky when they're that disgusting?" Tau had grumbled, zipping up her jacket with a huff. With no idea how to answer, Raph had responded with a shrug. To his relief she didn't seem to attract as much attention after that. Whether that was due to her costume no longer being so revealing, the chill look she gave any fellow that approached, or the way she hung as close by his side as she could; Raph couldn't say, or care.

The next few hours had passed in a blur. And whilst Raph had had his fill of the jostling crowds, glad to escape them, he was in no hurry to head home just yet; happy to drag out the walk back to the van for as long as possible. Tau was hanging off his every word as he told the tale of the first time he and his bros had gone trick or treating. Her giggles gave way to a bout of true laughter as he quoted his sensei to finish the story.   
"Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands… and then eat just one of those pieces."

Despite her mirth she didn't break the contact between their shoulders, resting her weight lightly on him again as she settled. The next couple of minutes elapsed in peace, though Raph soon found himself hunting for something else to say. He didn't mind the quiet; he just didn't want to inadvertently break it with the one thing that kept niggling at his mind, what he'd tried to tell her earlier. It seemed the more he thought about it, the harder it was to find the right words.

Mainly to distract himself from his deliberations, over how to bring up the situation with the Scorpions without ruining the evening, he decided to deal with another issue that had been bugging him lately.   
"Can I ask ya a funky question?"   
"Sure." Tau shrugged.   
"What's your favourite flower?" Tau leaned away from him, eying him dubiously.   
"That _is_ a funky question… Why? You're not thinking of getting me a bunch, are ya?"   
"Nah!" snorted Raph "It's just something stupid Mikey reckons I should know; wanna get him off my back about it."   
"Oh." Tau contemplated for a moment. "I dunno, never really thought about it I guess; one that's still attached to its' roots in the ground."   
"Heh!" Raph nodded, trying to disguise his disappointment that she hadn't closed the small distance to lean on him again.

If anything their pace slowed further as they both lost themselves in their own thoughts for a few moments. Not sure why he had to gather the courage to do so, Raph glanced warily at Tau, catching her chewing her lip in concentration. She gave him a fleeting, nervous look in return; quickly becoming engrossed with the ground.   
"These last… few days… " she started quietly, hesitantly "have you been getting annoyed… with me?" Raphs' scowl was hidden behind his sheet.   
"Huh? Why'd ya think something like that?" he brusquely asked. Tau shrugged, continuing so softly he could barely hear her.   
"Are you frustrated with us just staying friends?"

Raph managed to ignore the chorus to the contrary that sprung up in the back of his mind to blurt,   
"No, 'course not!"   
"Oh." His scowl deepened for a moment; then he shook his head to clear it. He must've imagined the slight note of disappointment in her voice; he was telling her what she wanted hear after all.   
"I was tryin' to tell ya… It's nothin' to do with you. It's about Hun." he snapped, taking another step before he realised she wasn't walking beside him anymore. Having to turn back slightly to where she was stood Raph was shocked to see her staring at him, wide eyed and ashen.   
"Dad? Is… is he ok? He's not… dead, is he?" she practically begged.

If he could have, Raph would have sharply kicked his own butt. He had no idea why he'd mentioned her father; this wasn't how he'd planned to start this discussion. But he couldn't just leave it with her looking so distressed it forced a lump into his own throat.   
"No, he's not. Not that I know of anyway…" he trailed off uncertainly.   
"Thank goodness!" Tau gasped in relief, running a shaky hand over the smooth leather she wore on her head. "Gees, you scared me for a moment there!"   
"Didn't mean to." he grumped, hoping she'd take the hint from his tone to drop this for now.

Tau took a deep breath, releasing it with a sigh before she looked him sternly in the eye.   
"So what is it then?"   
"Later, huh?"   
"No. Damn it Raph, just tell me. Now." Despite her voice being calm and low he recognised that tone, the hard set of her jaw. She'd hit her limit, and he knew full well that no good would come of pushing her past it. Absently he rubbed the back of his head; he'd sported a bruise there for almost a week the first time she'd gotten riled at him. He hadn't realised, there wasn't much she got really upset over, and she'd managed to catch him unawares. That had been months ago, when they'd first started meeting regularly; still he wouldn't tease her by calling her a 'weak girl' again. Unable to think of a way to sugar-coat it Raph shrugged in resignation, deciding to give it to her straight.   
"There's this gang, the Scorpions. They're recruitin' heaps of other gangs all over the city to take down the Purple Dragons. Your Dad's their main mark. And the way they're going they might have a good chance at 'im too."

Raph shuffled slightly as Tau stared at him expectantly for a few moments in silence. Finally she quirked an eyebrow at him,   
"And?"   
"'And' what?" he threw his hands out wide.   
"That's it?" she asked incredulously.   
"Ah… well, yeah."   
"Why on Earth would ya get so het up over telling me that?" she mimicked his gesture.   
"I thought ya'd get upset, knowin' someone's after yer Dad." he growled in his defence.

Taushas' brow furrowed as she contemplated. Meeting his eyes again she asked in earnest,   
"What do you think I am, some kinda naïve idiot?"   
"No!" he exclaimed, Tau practically ignoring him,   
"I'd be more surprised if you told me there _wasn't_ someone wanting to do my Dad in!" her voice became tainted with light sarcasm as she continued "And as I recall, though you _were_ incredibly _subtle_ about it, I couldn't fail to get the _impression_ you weren't my Dads' _biggest_ fan right from the start. If I had a problem with people hating my Dad, _we_ wouldn't be friends! Sheesh, I'd have thought _you'd_ be more worried that someone else would get 'im before you did!" she laughed.

Her smile evaporated as she realised Raph wasn't joining in, choosing to inspect a patch of ground off to the side instead.   
"Oh…" she breathed, leaning over to try to read his eyes she asked quietly "Is _that_ it?" She took his silence and the way he evaded her look as a 'yes'. Gently she gripped his shoulder to stop him turning away.   
"Hey. You've told me dozens of times before just how you wanna… 'get' my Dad. Why couldn't ya tell me this time?" she coaxed softly. Raph shrugged, muttering,   
"I dunno. I didn't know he was your Dad back then… and I didn't want ya to think I was… a jerk or nuthin'…"

A small smile tugged on the corner of Taus' lips.   
"I don't think you're a jerk." she assured; waiting for him to meet her eyes to tease gently "An idiot, maybe…"   
"Hey!" he scowled, his annoyance disappearing as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Uncertainly he returned her embrace, relaxing after a moment with a sigh of relief. Against his neck she murmured,   
"I'm just glad it wasn't cos…"   
"Ahem!"

Both their heads shot up to see the ghost that had interrupted stood beside them, arms crossed and foot tapping. Behind him stood two others, one resignedly putting up with being nudged by the others' elbow.   
"Are you planning on re-joining us anytime this evening?" the first asked irately. Refusing to give up the first hug he'd had in a week Raph made a point of pulling Tau closer, returning his brothers' glare.   
"Leo, fu…" A short, shrill scream drowned out his explicit directive, making them all jump.   
"April!" gasped Don, sprinting away before the word had finished leaving his mouth; the rest of the group only a split-second behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, this chapter turned out long...too long! I've ended up splitting it in two to make for easier reading. I was planning on waiting a few weeks to post the next instalment, but I guess I could be persuaded to publish it earlier if you'd like… (hint, hint, wink, wink!) Also, I'd better warn ya that there's some swearing in this one.

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading, you do a great job chica. Many thanks too for the reviews from artykidd, The Incredible Dancing Betty and virtual wenrog. I do love getting 'em!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Racing through the gardens in the direction of Aprils' scream, Don almost lost his footing; the ground dipping unexpectedly as he rounded some bushes. Before him, in the bottom of a dell, lay Casey nursing his right thigh; a handgun with a silencer on the ground to his right and a punk wearing Caseys' toy chainsaw broken over his head slumped to his left. There were two other guys out cold on the ground already, one close to Casey and one on the other side of April.

There were still five goons moving about the hollow. April stood defensively beside Casey, but was struggling with a punk as they wrestled with a length of pipe they both had a hold of. The other four were closing in, one creeping up behind April with a long knife. The scorpion shaved down the back of his head made a great target for Dons' bo. The loud 'crack' as it connected, along with the battle cries from Don and his brothers distracted the punk April was fighting, enough for her to feint to one side. The large mans' bulk caused him to stumble a step past her as the resistance on the metal between them disappeared. April didn't let go of the pipe however, twisting it from her assailants' hands to spin in a well-practiced move and bring the pipe down on the back of his head before he could right himself.

Even as April and Dons' adversaries crumpled to the floor, two others joined them; falling prey to sai and nunchaku. The last goon, standing on the far side of the hollow, pulled a small switchblade on the ghost that approached him. His relief as the ghost paused in response faded fast as with a 'Tch' and quick shake of his head the apparition produced a far larger blade from under his sheet. A moment later the goon was joining his comrades, unconscious on the cold, dew-damp grass.

"Oh my…" breathed Tau, taking in the scene as she skidded awkwardly down the slope. Raph stepped up to wrap a steadying arm about her waist before she barrelled into Casey.   
"Heh, you're gonna have to do better than _that_ if ya want in on the action!" he teased. She treated him to a mock-scowl in return.   
"Yeah, well _you_ try running in heels on wet grass and see how well you do!" she retorted, pushing past him to join Don and April kneeling next Casey; Leo and Mike stood close behind.

"I can't believe it…" muttered Casey, sounding like he might be in shock. Don looked up from his inspection of his friends wounded leg.   
"It isn't that bad Case, the bullet only grazed you. It's more of a burn than a puncture woun…."   
"Damn fuckin' no good punks!" interrupted Casey irately, struggling to sit up.   
"Whoa!" Don tried to sooth his patient "You should still take it easy Case. Just let us get you home, Splinter has a salve that should…"   
"They broke it! Damn it, now I'm gonna have ta find another one!" Casey exclaimed. Taken aback, and starting to worry his patient was delirious, Don patted Casey down, looking for other wounds.   
"What's wrong Casey? Did you get shot anywhere else?" Don asked as calmly as he could, trying to ignore Aprils tears and keep his mind on the job.   
"Huh? Nah, but this is wrecked!" moaned Casey, picking up the remains of his plastic chainsaw.

"Oh Casey!" cried April, grabbing him in a hug that almost knocked him flat on his back "You're ok, that's all that matters!"   
"Yeah dude!" agreed Mike, leaning over the huddle around their wounded friend "Priorities, huh?" he teased.   
"What? It took me ages to find this thing!" retorted Casey. Don ran a slow hand down his face, trying to resist the urge to throttle his patient in relief. He looked up in response to a hand on his shoulder. Returning the commiserate smile Tau gave him helped dispel the last of his anxiety.

"Looks like these guys were having a fairly successful evening before this." commented Leo, nodding to a large pile of handbags and wallets partially hidden under a bush, as he dragged the last of the punks over to be bound with the rest.   
"Yeah, but these Scorpion scum are gonna have ta learn to fight better 'n this. Otherwise we might get bored!" Raph joked.   
"Criticism noted." came the droll reply. The whole team turned to see who had spoken, shocked to see another large group of punks starting to appear around the rim of the hollow. The leader, who'd spoken, sported a scorpion crawling up the side of his neck as well an eagle on his bald head. He and his troupe looked a lot more street-wise than the young hooligans the turtles had just defeated.

"Defensive circle guys…" instructed Leo, his brothers gaining more from his cool, level tone than the directive they were already implementing.   
"Bro, you have _got_ to stop complainin' after we bap a few goons." Mike chastised Raph as the opposing groups sized each other up "You _always_ jinx us!" Raph gave his impudent brothers' shoulder a light cuff in reply, before cocking his head at the one taking up a defensive stance on his other side.   
"What d'ya think you're doin'?" he demanded brusquely.   
"Getting 'in the action'." Tau explained dryly.   
"No."   
"But…" Raph cut her off with stern finger before pointing her way back to the centre of the circle with a sharp jab.   
"Stay with them." an order _not_ to be argued with. Tau glared at him in indignation for a moment, but didn't utter a word as she stalked back to where Casey was attempting to get to his feet, Don and April trying to dissuade him.

"I _knew_ I shoulda brought my golf bag!" grunted Casey.   
"Don't worry about it Case, just relax and let us handle this one. The best thing for that leg is for you to sit and rest it…"   
"Actually Don," interrupted Leo "it may be better for Case to be on his feet." Looking up from his patient Don quickly understood Leos' point; the hollow was now surrounded by at least twenty punks. Given their poor position on the lower ground it was impossible to tell if there were even more waiting beyond the rim. Don recognised quite a few, including the leader, from previous scuffles they'd had with the Red Claw gang. They hadn't been a large group before they'd joined the Scorpions, but they did boast some of the better street fighters around.

"Damn straight!" exclaimed Casey, getting his balance on his good leg with a hop "Besides, there's no way I'm just gonna sit on my arse any longer than I have to while my girl's in danger!" He flashed April a cocky grin, getting a relieved one in response, before he muttered "Shit, I wish I had a weapon… Nah, April, you keep that." he declined the metal bar she offered.   
"Here!" called Mike; giving Casey just enough warning for him to catch the light chain he'd embellished his costume with. Casey eyed the metal links dubiously for a moment, trying to figure how he could use them without causing more damage to himself and his friends than their enemies, before he hit on an idea.

A last couple of punks had taken their places around the top of the hollow, the leader giving the order to attack as soon as they were in position. Casey just managed to finish wrapping the chain about his fist, creating a make-shift knuckle duster, as the first few punks clashed with the turtles. Despite being hindered by the sheets they were wearing, the turtles still made reasonably short work of most of their adversaries. Only a couple, already a little dazed, managed to make it past for Casey and the girls to finish off.

As the number of punks still standing began to dwindle Leo began to guide his team up the shallowest side of the hollow. Just before he reached the top he was accosted by the punks' leader. The mans' bulk made him relatively slow moving, but he still used it to good effect to force Leo a short way back down the slope. As Leo managed to slowly regain his headway, Casey, being aided in his hobble by the girls, caught up to him so that all four crested the slope together.

Casey wasn't too sure how he felt about April and Tau 'helping' him out. Sure they'd let him finish off one goon, but not before they'd softened up the thug first. The second hoodlum April had managed to catch in a headlock with her bar, forcing him to bend over backwards whilst Tau administered a solid kick to his gut, putting him out of action before Casey had even managed to limp over. It kinda made him feel like he was being usurped; and Raph ordering Tau to stay with him made him wonder briefly if his friend had doubts he could look after himself and April. The younger girl seemed to know how to handle herself in a fight, and obviously would have preferred being on the front line. With a quick shake if his head Casey dismissed his qualms, figuring it was because she didn't have a real weapon handy that Raph had sent her back.

As the trio stepped out of the dell, Leo was locked using both katana to ward off the battle-worn 'No Parking' street sign the large thug was trying to clobber him over the head with. Try as he might Leo was finding it hard to pull off his usual trick of drawing his blades apart, forcing his opponents weapon away; the punks' bulk adding too much weight behind the metal bar for Leo to shift it. The impasse was broken as something coiled like a snake fell on their heads. Leo, reassured by the bright orange end, recognised that it wasn't anything dangerous. The punk, on the other hand, leapt backwards with a high pitched scream before the mostly black cord landed, lifeless on the grass. It only took him a moment to realise the ruse, quickly bringing his makeshift weapon up to block Leos' blades enough to keep him in the fight, though it cost him a bad cut to his shoulder.

Seeing how well her costume whip had helped out, Tau took a moment to stand triumphantly, hands on hips as she surveyed the combat drawing to a close around her. To Caseys' surprise, the next instant she was ducking to hide behind him with an "Eep!" The whole battle seemed to freeze as everyone else sensed what had made Tau cower. A short distance away stood yet another punk. With his green top-knot and distinctive tattoo up the left side of his face he was easy to recognise, although his eye within the depicted dragons' mouth had been replaced with a dark purple glass prosthetic since the last time any of the turtles had tangled with him. Behind Dragon-face a virtual army of Purple Dragons were gathering amongst the trees.

Slowly Leo and his opponent disengaged their weapons, an unspoken agreement between them to put their current conflict aside to deal with this common, and much larger, foe. As seasoned warriors they both understood that standing together in this circumstance would increase their chances of survival. The rest of the two groups followed their leaders' example, some more grudgingly than others.

"Well well now, aint this an interesting development?" smirked Dragon-face "I almost didn't believe it when I was told you Scorpion scum had the nerve to work here tonight. 'The Park' is Dragon territory, and you all know what happens if you fuck with us. But here I find not only are ya'll stupid enough to try it on, but you an' the freaks are busy softenin' each other up for us already! Aint that a nice little treat for me an' my crew on Halloween?" he got a swell of whoops and jeers in agreement from the mob behind him.

As the Purple Dragons started to fan out, working themselves up for the imminent skirmish, the turtles regrouped into a close circle around their friends again.   
"Options?" Leo asked, matter-of-factly, busy surveying the terrain and their new enemies for himself; at least they'd gained the flat of the land once more. After a few moments however the only answer he got was,   
"Fight."   
"Gees Raph, think outside the square will ya?"   
"Sorry Mike, I think that's pretty much our only option right now." Don warned. Leo nodded grimly in agreement. In the next instant they were fighting off the first wave of Purple Dragons.

Within the chaos of the melee, the turtles still managed to make it seem easy. Mike was laughing, playing 'peek-a-boo' with his 'chucks' from behind his sheet, catching many a punk unawares. Leo pulled his costume off in the first few moments of the battle, freeing him up to move more cleanly through his opponents, though he did managed to grab it once off the ground to knock a few of them off their feet.

Don allowed his first three attackers to come in close, flicking his sheet over their heads to confuse them before he bopped them into unconsciousness. He managed to repeat the tactic another couple of times before the sheet was too wrecked to utilise. Raph twisted his costume into a rope, using it to good effect as a whip and garrotte until it too disintegrated.

However, despite their best efforts, they still became separated from each other, and their friends, in the throng. The arrival on the scene of a troupe of mounted police didn't do much to help matters, merely causing the horde to swarm forward, forcing Casey and the girls back into the hollow again, separating them further. Leo noticed the cops didn't last long; many were quickly pulled from their mounts by the gang. He knew the NYPD would send serious reinforcements pretty shortly, and he wanted his team out of this situation before that occurred.

In the confusion and darkness in the hollow Casey managed to lose sight of Tau, though he kept his back hard up against Aprils'. Suddenly something flew over his head, landing nearby to emit a white vapour that filled the depression. Unable to move quickly enough to escape it Casey and April, along with a fair number of punks, succumbed to the tear gas.

As the Dragons started to scatter to escape the fumes the NYPD riot squad greeted them with, Leo desperately tried to reassemble his team. To his relief none of his brothers had been seriously injured enough to impede their mobility, and they quickly gathered to him. However, they were all looking about frantically for their friends.

Hurriedly scaling a tree, Mike spotted Dragon-face and some of his cronies over-powering a lone police van that had made the mistake of arriving on the far side of the hollow, April and Casey being forced into the back of it, before the truck skidded away over the grass. Mike didn't even finish reporting what he was seeing before his brothers raced after the vehicle. Jumping down he ran to catch up.

Leo had a slight lead on Raph, and they both made a valiant effort to catch up with the truck that was struggling to maintain a grip on the slick grass. However, it soon become obvious they didn't have any real hope of catching up with it. Slowing his pace Leo gripped Raph by the arm as he tried to pass, forcing him to a halt as well.   
"What the…? Leo, let me go! Fuck it! We can't let 'em get away!" Raph protested, almost in panic.   
"We're not going to catch them on foot Raph. We need the Battle-shell." Leo explained, trying to calm his brother with his voice.   
"Shove that! By the time we get to it they'll be long gone! I'm not gonna lose her Leo, not like this!" Raph was desperately trying to tear Leos' hand off his arm, Don and then Mike catching up with them.

"No, bro." gasped Mike, trying to catch his breath "She wasn't with 'em."   
"WHAT?" Raph and Leo demanded in unison.   
"I didn't see her, anyways…" Mike ducked his head at the expression on his brothers' face. Raph worked his mouth in shock briefly before he exploded.   
"THEN WHERE THE FUCK _IS_ SHE?"   
"We can track them on their Shell-cells, we just need to…" Don put in coolly; his phone already in hand. Raph broke Leos' hold to grab his brainy brother by the shoulders, jerking him beak to beak.   
"Tau doesn't _have_ a fuckin' Shell-cell, moron!"

Both Mike and Leo stepped forward, looking to defend their normally placid brother. But Don surprised them all, bringing his arms up between himself and Raph he broke his brothers' hold with enough force to make him gasp. Then, shoving him backwards a couple of steps, before Raph had a chance to nurse his bruised forearms, Don snarled back in his face.   
"April and Casey _do_, or don't they _matter_ to you?"   
"Of _course_ they do! Grrrah!" Mike managed to grab Raph around the shoulders before he threw a punch in outrage, pulling him further backwards as Leo stepped between his arguing brothers, a firm hand on each chest holding them apart as everyone started yelling incoherently.

The quarrel came to an abrupt halt as a horse leapt over the bushes beside them, almost into their midst, forcing all four to make a brief, swift retreat. Their differences instantly forgotten the brothers stood shoulder to shoulder, their weapons at the ready, as the beast circled to trot back towards them, the distinctive yellow NYPD brow band on the bridle showing clearly in the moonlight.   
"Gees, for ninja you lot c'n be bloody noisy!" chastised Tau, reining in her large mount. When she didn't get an immediate response from the slack-jawed turtles she held out a hand to Raph, with a light scowl.   
"You comin' or what? We'll have to bust 'em outta Dads' place at this rate!"

"Heck yeah!" grinned Raph, sheathing his sai to grab her hand and the back of the saddle, swinging himself to straddle the animals' rump.   
"We'll track you, join you in the Battle-shell." instructed Leo.   
"Yep!" acknowledged Tau over her shoulder; already urging the horse into a gallop. Losing his tenuous grip on the smooth ridge of leather at the rear of the saddle as the beast surged forward, Raph's arms pin-wheeled for a moment before he gripped Tau by the hips. He would have preferred to wrap his arms about her, but she was bent too far forward, leaning low over the horses' mane.

Raph found himself leaning over her back; sure it helped him keep his balance better. He wasn't afraid. Him? No way. He was exhilarated… and maybe a little nervous. He'd always wanted to ride a horse, thinking the way they moved on screen looked so graceful and powerful, like the Shell-cycle. But the feel of the huge muscles bunching under his thighs, the unfamiliar lurch of the beasts' stride and even the warm tang of its scent in his nostrils were all reminders that this particular ride had a mind of its' own. It wasn't that he doubted Taus' ability on horseback, from what she'd told him she was pretty familiar with this kinda thing. But she was so small and the horse was… _huge_! How much control could she really have over it?

They followed the tracks the police van had gouged out of the grass, emerging onto a road that cut through the parkland in time to see the van travelling away, Tau urging more speed out of the horse to catch up. Raph gripped even tighter, the sharp ringing of hooves on tarmac giving him unpleasant thoughts of what could happen to him if he bounced off the smooth hide.

As they drew closer to the vehicles' passenger side Raphs' stomach lurched coldly as he realised he had no idea what Tau expected him to do. Every cowboy film he'd watched flashed through his brain, till it fixated on one where a villain had mistimed and been run over by the wheels of the train carriage he'd attempted to board from horseback. The good-guys had always made it look so easy, and Raph had even leapt from the back of his speeding bike on occasion before. But his bike didn't pitch about like this!

Still, he tensed as he came level with the back of the truck, trying to pick his moment to leap. He'd just started to draw his legs up when the animal lurched to one side, a bottle thrown from the vans' window shattering beside them just where the horses' legs would have been.   
"Bastards!" he heard Tau curse tersely, she continued with a murmur as she leant even further over the horses' neck "C'mon big boy, let's get 'em…" Despite their situation Raph couldn't help an indulgent grin. It quickly vanished however, as the van swerved sharply at them as they caught up. Tau managed to evade it, having to steer their mount up an embankment at the side of the road to escape. The driver of the police van misjudged the slope as he tried to follow them up it, almost causing the truck to tip before he managed to right it.

Raph yelled to Tau to keep on along the top of the slope they were on, following the line of the road. Once they were along-side the van again Raph took aim with a shuriken. A handful of the throwing stars later both the wheels on their side of the truck were flat, the windscreen was badly cracked, and the passenger window was shattered; the goon sat in the passenger seat huddled below the window frame.

"Stay here." ordered Raph, leaping off the slowing horse as the truck skidded to a halt, the back doors already flung open to eject half a dozen punks, weapons at the ready. As Raph drew his sai, leaping down the slope with a fierce battle cry, two of the punks broke and ran. The rest held firm as Raph ploughed into them, one dropping almost instantly as a sai found his midriff. Two others quickly succumbed, joining their comrade on the pavement. The last tried to make a run for it, Raph catching him before he made it to the trees, knocking him out with a blow to the back of his head with the wing of his sai.

Heading back to the van, Raph was disappointed to find the front seats were empty; an odd thumping sound reverberating through the trucks body. Ducking to the rear he flung open the doors to find April and Casey sat along one of the benches, cuffed to the railing on the wall. Since they didn't seem too much the worse for wear, or to be the source of the hammering, Raph left them to investigate the other side of the truck.

"What the…? I told you to stay put!" he chided sharply as Tau stepped back from a goon, who slid slowly down the side of the van she'd been punching him against.   
"And since when do I take orders from _you_?" she demanded hands on hips. The horse stood behind her blew air out of its nostrils at him, making Raph feel the beast was backing her side of the argument.   
"Since it's for your own damn good!" he ground out in annoyance "What if one of these guys recognised you, and where the hell has Dragon-face gotten to?" he glanced about, worried the Purple Dragon was still skulking around close by.

"Hmpf, that coward ran for it as soon as the truck stopped. I think he was drivin'. I don't think this loser knows me," she toed the guy on the floor at her feet, making him groan lightly though he didn't uncurl himself "and I just couldn't let him get away with chucking glass at my horse!" Throwing her arms out to make her point Raph noticed the leather of her right glove was split, blood glistening on her palm.   
"You hurt?" he asked bluntly, grabbing her wrist.   
"It's only a small cut." she assured, failing to yank her hand free she yielded grudgingly to his inspection of the wound.   
"Yeah…" he agreed, the scowl slowly leaving his face "It shouldn't need any stitches. Still, you shoulda let me take care of this guy."

Tau couldn't resist a smile at his earnest look.   
"And let you have _all_ the fun?" she teased softly. Thinking of a cheeky answer he felt the warmth creeping up his neck.   
"Well, it would save me from having to do this…" he grinned, gently but firmly bringing her hand to his lips to press a light kiss next to her injury. She blushed deeply herself, her balaclava failing to hide it, opening her mouth to respond.   
"Raph? Hey, Raph? You forgotten about us or what?" called Casey from inside the van. Rolling his eyes Raph dropped her hand and stalked to his friends' aid. Tau decided to keep watch, hoping the brisk night air would cool her cheeks before anyone else could notice.

April and Raph were helping Casey step out of the police van as the Battle-shell arrived, the three turtles hoping out almost before it had come to a stop. Within a couple of minutes Don was settling back into the drivers' seat, having made sure April and Casey were secure and as comfortable as could be in the back. Wanting to get out of Central Park as soon as possible Leo scowled as he approached Tau and his two brothers wasting time with the horse.   
"C'mon you guys, this isn't a petting zoo; time to head home."   
"But we can't just leave him here, not after all the help he's given us." petitioned Tau, returning her attention to rubbing the animals neck "Hey, big boy? We'd have been in a bit of a pickle without you, and you did a wonderful job. You are my big beautiful boy…" Raph looked a little surprised then scowled darkly for a moment as she continued quietly murmuring a sincere string of praise and nonsense to the animal.   
"Yeah! Can we keep him?" chimed in Mike.   
"No." Leo was taken aback as Tau simultaneously agreed with him; she continued "A horse costs more… well, almost as much, to feed a day than you do Mikey. And we don't have anywhere safe to stable or exercise him. It just wouldn't be fair. I was actually thinking of the police stables in the South-east corner of the 'Park'. We could just leave him in one of the outer paddocks, or something."

"Tau…" Leo shook his head "we have to get out of here."   
"Iknow Leo," said Tau levelly "but if we leave him here he'd be at the mercy of any punks still hanging around; or he could get hit by a car, or be wandering the park for hours 'till the police find him again. He needs clean water, and a feed, sooner than that. Plus, taking him back to the stable will help him walk out the strain his muscles have been through galloping about tonight. It's the humane thing to do, and it won't take long. I think the stables are only a kilometre or so away through those trees, it'll only take 10 minutes max to ride it. You guys should be able to drive there in no time. I'll meet you there." To Leos' chagrin she'd swung herself back into the saddle before he could argue.   
"Hey! There's no way you're goin' alone!" exclaimed Raph, quickly joining her astride the horses' rump again.   
"But…" Leo futilely tried to intercede.  
"Don't sweat it bro." soothed Mike, gently steering Leo back towards the Battle-shell by the shoulders "Ten more minutes won't hurt, and it is the '_humane_' thing to do." Just before he followed Leo into the back of the truck, Mike glanced over to where Raph and Tau were slowly disappearing under the trees. He grinned as he spotted his brother wrapping his arms around the girls' waist.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here we go; the end of Halloween for this fic. (Finally, eh?) And it just wouldn't be right if I didn't end this one with something a little scary. So be warned, there's some swearing, a little gore, a mound of horse manure and a blowie in this one. Just in case you're wondering; 'blowie' is Aussie slang for a 'blowfly' or 'housefly'. Nyeh heh heh!

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading, you do a wonderful job chica. Many thanks too for the reviews from artykidd and greshunkai. I do love getting 'em; any which way I can, LOL! And these got me motivated enough to get half the next chapter written already, which is why I'm posting this one so soon. I'm trying to avoid huge gaps between posting chapters now that things have settled down a bit; for both my series believe it or not, lol! But I've almost finished the next chapter of 'Beauty' too (been on a roll o.O!), the main thing really holding that one up now is my darned infernal need to double-check the Japanese cultural references; my kimono reference book has gone missing in action! (sigh) I'm sure it'll turn up in a hidden niche somewhere around the house… along with half a dozen pens, Tobys' pacifier and a half-eaten apple. I swear Coen is part squirrel, lol!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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In Raphs' opinion this night had turned out alright. Admittedly it could have done without Case getting hurt, and that bone-head and Ape almost being captured, and maybe even without the brawls with the street gangs. But here he was, getting some rare time alone with Tau, especially after making peace with her earlier. He grinned smugly, nestling his chin on her shoulder as he pulled her close; surprised when she stiffened, pulling one of his hands off her midriff to rest back on her hip instead.   
"Huh?"   
"You're being a bit forward, don'tcha think?" she asked lightly.   
"What d'ya mean?" he countered, attempting to sound innocent.   
"You've hardly said 'boo' to me all week!"   
"So? You're not pissed at me, are ya?"   
"No." her voice tainted a little with indignation.   
"What's the problem then?"   
"Well, it would be nice if we could talk first…"   
"We're talkin' now, aren't we?"   
"Yeah." Tau sighed "But… oh, I dunno. Just forget about it." she grumped.

Unsure what else to say they rode on in awkward silence. Raph had always gotten a good laugh out of Casey whenever he'd hidden out at the lair claiming April was speaking in tongues and being difficult just for the hell of it. He'd always assumed it was just Casey being thick. But right now he wasn't sure what worried him more, Tau acting weird or the chance that Casey might be right about… anything that wasn't sport related!

"Hey Raph?" Tau interrupted his thoughts quietly, sounding a bit preoccupied herself "Did you see Dragon-faces' eye?" Raph quirked an eye ridge, wondering where this was coming from.   
"Yeah." he testily admitted.   
"Do you think… it was 'cos of me? That he lost it after I left Dad, I mean?"   
"Probably."   
"Oh." Why the hell did she sound down about it?   
"You don't care what happens to that scum bag, do ya?" he asked irately.   
"No, not really. But I do feel a bit rotten about it… I'm guessing he didn't see my face at least. I know I'd want some pay-back if someone cost me an eye, so I doubt he would have run so quickly if he'd recognised me."   
"I dunno; he's got all the back bone of a worm, from what I've seen of 'im. 'sides, you know you don't have to worry about him comin' after ya, not while you're with me at any rate."   
"Hmm." he heard the smile in her voice, though she didn't look back "Thanks."

Raph was still at a loss, trying to figure out where Taus' head was at. She did seem happier now for the conversation, such as it was. But not wanting to risk annoying her by hugging her close again, and feeling a growing need to break the quiet, Raph looked about desperately for something interesting to talk about. Finally he hit upon an idea so obvious he berated himself with a mental 'Doh!'   
"So, is this horse anything like Beau?" he asked tentatively.   
"Huh? Oh yeah, a bit. Beau's a couple of hands shorter, and his mane is black, not chestnut…" she rambled on happily with her comparison to her own horse back in Melbourne; Raph succumbing to a smile too, as he felt her start to relax against him.

Don had managed to park the Battle-shell where it was well camouflaged by bushes, the railings of a circular exercise yard on the outskirts of the NYPD stables only twenty meters away from their hiding place. Leo and Mike were stood among the trees, keeping watch for the horse and its riders, though they heard them a few moments before they came into view.   
"… I'd love to show it all to you one day. I think you'd really like it." Taus' wistful voice carried on the night air.   
"Yeah, I reckon I would."   
"We can always hope, I guess… Oh! Hi guys, what's up?" she smiled as she spotted Mike and Leo, curious why they were sharing an astonished look before they turned to greet her, Mike with a grin and Leo with a disapproving scowl. Raph guessed their expressions were due to him having his arms wrapped tight about her again, and he couldn't help giving Leo a brief, cheeky grin as they rode past.

Deciding that now was not the time, nor the place for the argument that would inevitably ensue if he followed his exasperating brother out to the paddock, Leo gave in to Mikes' pleas to go, opting to stay by the rear of the van as a lookout instead. To his relief Tau made quick work of getting the horse into the paddock, stripped of its saddle and tack and given a bucket of water to drink. She and his brothers gave the horse a brief final pat, before heading back towards the Battle-shell. Leo lost sight of them as they passed behind a tall, three sided wooden stall filled with manure.

"So…, what'cha hoping ta reveal to ol' Raphie-boy, Tau?" Mike teased quietly as they started the walk back to the van.   
"What on Earth are you talking about Mike?" she asked, keeping her own voice low as well.   
"We heard ya saying you wanted to show Raph all of something. Is it your… tat? That's my bet!" he grinned. Raph and Tau shared a quick look in surprise before Raph grabbed his brother in a head lock.   
"You idiot, she was talkin' about her home!" he chastised as he administered a noogie.   
"Ow, ow, ow!" 'THUNK!' Mikes' whispered protests were cut short as he backed into the wooden wall beside them in an attempt to break free. They all froze, waiting to see if the loud noise had attracted any attention. As nothing stirred they all relaxed, only to jump again as Raph let out a small cry.

"Arrgh, get away, get away, _get away_!" he danced about trying to shoo a lazy fly that had flown over the wall to circle about his head. Tau eyed him dubiously as he jerked backwards, the stubborn fly attempting a landing on his nose. He gasped again as she clapped, a hairs' breadth away from trapping his beak. Opening her hands the fly fell lifeless to the ground.   
"Urgh! How could you touch that disgusting little _bug_?" he demanded.   
"It was a fly." she stated, matter-of-factly.   
"Yeah." breathed Raph regaining some of his composure "Dirty little maggot infested…"   
"It was a fly." Tau said again, her tone a little darker. Raph nodded.   
"So long as it's dead, let's get out of here." he side-stepped the tiny corpse, Taus' hand on his arm stopping him from going any further. Looking back to see what her problem was the expression on her face made him take a step backwards.

"_You_ are afraid of a _fly_?" she questioned in disbelief.   
"I'm not _afraid_ of 'em, I just _hate_ 'em!" Raph growled in his defence, his scowl vanishing as she stepped up, trapping him against the wood, her nose almost touching his beak, with an evil glare.   
"After _all_ the times you've made fun of me for being scared of bugs…" she snarled.   
"Hey! So we have somethin' in common..." he shrugged, trying to placate her with a lop-sided grin, but her eyes just narrowed further.   
"_I_ only hate bugs that can _hurt_ you…, but a _blowie_?" she ground out, shaking her head in frustration "You would **_die_** in Oz."

Raph grimaced, trying to make sense of her comment, as she briskly stepped away. She halted next to Mike who was trying desperately to stop himself from laughing.   
"And _you_!" she sharply accused him. Mike managed to pull his hand away from his mouth to ask,   
"Hey! What'd I do?"   
"You could have bloody well told me about him, instead of taking advantage of me for some cheap laughs; some '_friend_' you are!" Mikes' laughter died as she glared savagely at them both.   
"You're both as bad as each other! You **_ever_** tease me about bugs again…" she shook a fist at them "Jerks!" she muttered, turning on her heel to stalk back towards the Battle-shell. Mike and Raph shared a guilty look.   
"Oops?" queried Mike.   
"Shit." confirmed Raph.

Leo watched as Tau appeared from behind the wooden structure to approach the Battle-shell. Despite his curiosity regarding why his brothers were trailing a distance behind her, he didn't stop her as she passed him; her filthy look made him think he'd be better off questioning his brothers instead. However, he almost stepped after her as she didn't even slow down by the van, but kept going to stop a few meters past it. Once he was sure she wasn't going to go any further, and assuming from the way she stood - stiff-legged, head down with her arms crossed - she didn't want to be disturbed just yet, Leo turned back to face his brothers.

At first Raph had felt awful, his gut felt like cold mush trapped in a vice, his throat suddenly ached terribly, and his brain had put Taus' last accusation on an endless repeating loop between his ears. He hated it. Mulling over the situation on his way back to the Battle-shell, Raph tried to figure out why she'd been so upset. It wasn't like it was his fault she was scared of bugs, and they'd teased each other about all sorts of stuff before without her going ballistic. Plus, things had started going so well between them tonight, why'd she have to go and ruin it, again?

The small spark of annoyance he felt helped to warm his innards, wanting to rid himself of the cloying feeling he kept on brooding, his bitterness mounting with each step. How _dare_ she accuse him of being afraid? Fear had _nothing_ to do with it. Bugs were just dirty, disgusting creatures that he hated. And of _course_ a fly could hurt! Didn't she know that's where maggots and disease _came_ from? What he'd give to drag her to that damn alternate dimension where he could show her what a _really_ dangerous bug looked like. Maybe then she'd have a bit more friggin' respect for _his_ point of view. How could she call them both jerks? After he'd spent the last week agonising over hurting _her_ feelings! And there was no way he'd let _anybody_ call Mikey something like that and get away with it… well, other than he and his bros, of course.

By the time he reached the van, Raph was in a white hot temper.   
"What's happened?" asked Leo in concern. Raph immediately shouldered past him, with a dirty look that beat Taus' previous effort.   
"It was _her_ damn fault!" he growled before jumping into the truck, slamming the door behind him so hard it failed to latch and slowly swung open again. Recovering from their winces at the noise Leo looked to Mike for an explanation. Mike gave a dejected shrug,   
"Guess what they say about 'opposites attract' is true. Soon as they found they hated the same thing…" he indicated to each of the warring parties with a hand, emphasising how far apart they were at present. With a sad shake of his head he wandered over to stand just behind the girl, Leo following.   
"I'm really sorry Tau. I promise I'll never tease you about bugs an' stuff again." he pledged solemnly. Getting no response he gave a single grim nod before he made his way back to the van, head hung low.

Leo waited until his brother disappeared inside the vehicle. Moving to stand beside Tau, he couldn't read her face in the darkness of her own shadow.   
"Are you alright?" he probed gently. She didn't respond for a moment, but when she finally looked up Leo wondered if Raph had ever managed to anger her this much before she'd come to stay with them. Usually it was hard for Leo to see any of her Father in her, but right now he'd swear it would be impossible for any of his family not to recognise Huns' eyes.   
"How would _you_ feel if you'd just found out your best friend was a two-faced… _wimp_!"   
"Whoa! Hang on, now. Raph may be a lot of things, and not all of them good. But he is **_not_** a 'wimp'." Leo rebuked sternly.   
"It was a damn _fly_, Leo." Tau ground out sardonically.   
"Oh." Leo desperately tried to think of a way to deny her accusation. Failing, he decided on a different tack. "If it was only a silly insect, it's not worth getting this upset about; is it?"   
"It's more than just the damn bug." she advised in a dark monotone.   
"I know that, but standing out here isn't going to resolve anything. Come, get in the Battle-shell, and we can sort this out when we get home." he petitioned.   
"I'm not sure I can Leo, I'm so _pissed_ at him right now." Leo didn't doubt it, the way she tensed even further at her admission.

Leo allowed her a moment of quiet, hoping she'd relax again. When she didn't, he decided to resort to the one thing he hoped would change her mind quick-smart about getting in the van.   
"Are you ready to go back to your Father then?" he asked quietly. Contrary to his expectations she didn't move a muscle, but actually seemed to be considering his question. To his surprise he was relieved when she finally murmured,   
"No. But for the first time since I moved in with you guys I feel… like I need a bit of space to myself."   
"If you do want to stay with us, I need you to get in the Battle-shell, now Tausha. I don't want to risk staying here any longer than we have to." he explained levelly. With a sigh her shoulders drooped. Looking suddenly defeated, with tears threatening, she slowly turned to start trudging towards the truck.   
"Ok Leo." she whispered despondently.

Taking pity, he reached out to stop her.   
"Hey." he soothed "You can take a minute to pull yourself together, okay?" With a nod she turned her face away, knuckling her eyes roughly.   
"Thanks." she murmured once she was finished.   
"If you do need some space, we can ask April if you can stay with her for a while." suggested Leo. Again Tau considered for a moment, before shaking her head.   
"She's got enough to worry about with Casey being hurt. I'm sure the last thing she needs is me being under-foot. It's okay Leo, you're right. It is stupid to get so upset over a sodding bug. I'll get over it." she assured resolutely, with a weak smile.

"I know it must be hard for you to adapt to living with us. The only time you really get any time to yourself is when we head out for a run at night, and I guess I have been a little harsh in not letting you come top-side very often." he sympathised.   
"I know it's for my own good, Leo." she admitted softly. Feeling she deserved a little credit for coming around so quickly, Leo struck on a thought.   
"Uh…, it may not be a bad idea for you to have a bit more…'separation' from Raph. I know Don wants to visit some friends of ours in the next few days that run a waste disposal and recycling plant. It may not sound like the most pleasant place to visit, but you might find it interesting. How about you come with us? I'll make sure Raph and Mike stay home so you can at least get a break from them for a little while. How does that sound?" With a small nod, and her smile growing a little stronger, Tau replied gratefully,   
"Good actually! Thank you Leo." Returning her smile he led the way back to the van.

---------- ----------

"That's it? That's your explanation for why a dozen of my Dragons needed bailing out of lock-up, and twice as many are clogging up our infirmary?" Hun demanded over his steepled fingers, his elbows resting on his imposing desk. Dragon-face shifted nervously where he stood.   
"Yeah… but at least we cleared the Scorpions out of the 'Park'…"   
"Hmpf." Hun dismissed his argument derisively. "I don't give a shit about them. I want the heads of those freaks on a platter, and Jones to 'chat to'." he loudly cracked his knuckles.   
"We almost got Jones; and his girl too. But one of the turtles stopped the truck…"   
"_One_?" interrupted Hun, rising from his seat. "How did _one_ stop your crew from bringin' in that damn vigilante?" Swallowing hard, and unconsciously rubbing at his fake eye, Dragon-face tried to explain.   
"Uh, he took out the wheels of the truck with some o' those throwin' star thingies. Then he jumped off the horse and attacked us…"   
"The _horse_? How the hell could he ride a fucking horse and throw shuriken at the same time?"   
"Well, he wasn't riding it alone, there was this other… person steering it."   
"Who?"   
"I dunno, they were dressed all in black, even had a mask on."

Hun scowled in silent consideration for a moment.   
"You didn't see any detail other than that? Was it a girl? Was she petite?"   
"It is a bit tough for me to see stuff that well now." Dragon-face pointed defensively at his glass eye "But they were kinda small, I guess."   
"I need more than just fucking 'guesses'! Jones might know where she would have skipped out to, or she might even have gone back to him. If he's laid one finger on my little girl…grrr! And I hate the thought of her runnin' round with those damn mutant freaks!" Dragon-face stepped back as Hun ground his fist into his other hand.   
"Uh, d'ya want me ta go spread the word that we need to bring Jones in pronto?" asked Dragon-face obsequiously. Hun treated him to an evil glare.   
"I thought I'd given _that_ order months ago. Don't tell me you weren't listening?" his voice quiet but full of menace.

As his maid cleaned the floorboards after he'd finished with his lackey, Hun sat heavily in the leather chair behind his desk. He stared out of the floor to ceiling windows at his city for a long while in contemplation. After the cleaning girl had left his office he reached into the draw of his desk, pulling out a small, ornate picture frame.   
"Why the hell did you have to grow up to be like your damn mother?" he asked of the image "All you had ta do was listen to me and I woulda made sure you were happy, looked after. But your mother stopped listenin' to me too. If you'd both just done what I told you, I wouldn't have had to…" Shaking his head in incomprehension Hun went back to staring out the windows, the frame nestled in his large hand.

A few floors down Dragon-face staggered into the infirmary, blood covering one side of his face, obscuring his tattoo.   
"Can ya fix this?" he asked the punkette that greeted him at the door, shoving something into her hand. Despite all her piercings, spiked hair and the vicious looking dragon crawling up her neck she screamed as she realised it was his ear she was holding.

------- -------

A/N: I know. Tau's an idiot, what a wasted opportunity! And you're probably thinking of ways to lynch me for letting her get away with being one too! Hehehe. But in her defence I should've chucked a cameo in the background of Aretha Franklin singing "R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me…" Poor Raphie, has to learn it the hard way, LOL!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Ok, got a bit of a ramble for ya this time, just 'cos there's quite a few Ken-do references in the next couple of chapters! 'Kotei' is a blow to the wrist, 'Men' to the head and 'Do' to the mid-riff. These are the terms used in Ken-do and are also yelled during each type of strike. Shinai consist of a central wooden beam with three flat outer shafts of bamboo that are tied together in such a way they make a loud 'klack' when the shinai strikes something, preferably not very hard 'cos then you end up with a broken shinai! It is very much a sport where 'psyching out' you're opponent gets much better results than just trying to hit 'em as hard as possible.

A type of armour is worn during competitions, including a helmet with a metal 'grid' for the face, a chest plate and wrist guards, though the armour is mainly heavy canvas, laquered wood and the like as opposed to metal, for the most part. The armour is quite expensive, so I doubt very much the TMNT would be able to get a-hold of any very easily. In this series I've got them substituting other sporting equipment for it, like the catchers gear in baseball.

Ken-do translates as 'Way of the Sword' (or so I believe), but today it is very much a competative sport as opposed to a 'traditional' martial art training regime (though it does get you VERY fit!). However, it does have it's roots in the training samurai did for dueling, where the aim was to kill (or maim the sword arm) of your opponent with the first and only blow.

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading, you do a wonderful job chica. Many thanks too for the reviews from virtual wenrog and artykidd. And a whoping huge THANKYOU to those who nominated this fic and series in the Fan Fic Awards! That's a great honour for me. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

------- -------

**Thursday, November 1**

_I allowed my sons this morning to sleep or do as they wished; to recuperate from their battles of last night. To my relief none of them, or our friends, was badly injured. However I did sense a strange tension within the Battle-shell on our journey home from April and Caseys' apartment. Michelangelo was oddly subdued; perhaps because of the loss of his treats and costume during their combat? _

_The hopes I'd had yesterday evening regarding a seeming change in Raphaels' attitude of late have come to naught. If anything the recent unease between him and Tausha seems to have escalated dramatically. So much so that I was careful not to allow the two of them to spar together during the light training session we held this afternoon. It seemed only Donatello was capable of gleaning a smile from her at all._

**Friday, November 2**

_We returned to our normal routine today. Again I did not feel it prudent to allow Raphael and Tausha to spar together. I was concerned that she did not seem to be happy with Michelangelo either, but Leonardo has since shed some light on what transpired between those three on Halloween night. I have often warned Michelangelo and Raphael of the 'dangers of living in a glass house'. Perhaps this time the stones will leave a lasting impression. _

_I would like to see an easing of tension within the lair soon however, it is starting to take its toll on all of us. There have been times when I have shared some of Leonardos' concerns regarding Raphaels' friendship with this girl, but if she is to stay I would prefer it to be on good speaking terms with all. The way things stand now I doubt many of Leonardos' concerns are particularly valid._

**Saturday, November 3**

_Morning practice was again apprehensive, although Taushas' mood did not seem as dark as it has been these past two days. She even laughed at one of Michelangelos' jokes. Thankfully Raphael left for Caseys' before we departed on our scavenging trip. I did not feel comfortable with the thought of leaving Donatello to mediate any arguments that may have erupted between Raphael and Tausha in our absence; there have been none so far, but I fear it is only a matter of time. _

_Leonardo has been hoping to find a new whet stone, so we decided to begin our excursion with the dumpsters behind the Dojo and Equipment Store on Bleeker Ave. Unfortunately Leonardo had no luck, but we did find two punching pads that had slight scratches in their leather, and a shinai that had been discoloured by water damage along one of its outer shafts. Humans are so wasteful, refusing to purchase goods simply because of small aesthetic flaws._

_Michelangelo insisted we take the shinai as well. I do not understand why, we have plenty of bokken for our needs. I have not trained my sons with shinai since they were too small to handle the weight of the heavier weapons, and all those we had have long since been broken. Although, from the mischievous grin he gave me when I asked what he intended to do with the weapon, I suspect it will be utilised for some prank soon. _

**Sunday, November 4**

_Michelangelo has made me proud of him today. Leonardo has yet to allow Tausha into our armoury, or to join in the live weapons practice. I believe he is simply trying to ensure she understands she is only a guest here, and so not entitled to complete freedom within the lair. From her body language I know Tausha finds it frustrating at times that she is not allowed to train with anything other than the wooden practice weapons, but to her credit she has never complained about being separated from her Ninja-to. I doubt any of my sons would be so gracious in regards to their own weapons under similar circumstance._

_However, I had forgotten she also had a shinai with her when she came to the lair. With much aplomb, Michelangelo presented our newly acquired one to everybody after lunch, and Leonardo readily retrieved Taushas' from the armoury. We spent a pleasant afternoon learning the nuances of her sport. From my memory, my Master Yoshi never indulged in the competition of Ken-do, preferring a more traditional style of training, and it was refreshing to try something a little different to the kata we are used to._

_It is a simple sport, but most enjoyable. Even Raphael joined the fun after half an hour, complaining the sharp cracks from the shinai, and his brothers' cheers and laughter, were drowning out the television. I should not have laughed myself, but it was quite amusing to see Tausha score a 'Kotei' and two solid 'Men' blows upon him, before he realised it is more a contest of wills and speed, rather than strength. Thankfully she yielded her shinai to Michelangelos' requests for a turn, before she received too many bruises in reply. _

_It kept us all entertained up until dinner. I am certain Leonardo and Tausha would have liked to continue on with it this evening, but they opted for accompanying Donatello to Junk Island instead. The trio left a few hours ago now, I hope they will not be gone for too much longer. Raphael has become quite agitated since they left and his obnoxious attitude is getting out of hand. _

_Being able to indulge in her sport again seemed to lift Taushas' spirits remarkably. She gave Michelangelo a hug in thanks after dinner, and I overheard her apologise to him regarding her harsh words on Halloween night. She even tried to start a friendly conversation with Raphael before she departed. And I am disappointed (but not surprised) he did not reciprocate well. _

**Monday, November 5**

_Raphaels' behaviour has become a concern to me. He refused to retire last night until his brothers returned, but as soon as they arrived home he went straight to his room with nothing more than a foul look for anyone. Despite everyone being civil to him, even Tausha, he has been terribly short tempered and rude to all today. I have instructed him to come speak with me once his afternoon chores are finished, this simply cannot continue._

_I do hope Raphael will not ruin this evening. Donatello has managed to 'hook us up' (I believe that is the correct phrase?) to a cable television channel we have never accessed before. Apparently it will be airing a live event from Australia that Tausha is very excited about. April and Casey will be joining us soon for dinner, and to watch as well, and I believe Tausha has asked April to bring some specific supplies that I am very much looking forward to. I must admit my curiosity has been piqued as to why this event is so important to Tausha. And why she would like us all to wear such curiously decorated hats for it, although Michelangelo has outdone himse…_

Splinter closed and put aside his journal as the shogi screen door to his room slid open.   
"You still wanna see me?" grunted Raph, drying his hands on a tea-towel as he peered into his Sensei's room. The greyed rat sighed away his annoyance at his sons' rude tone.   
"Yes." he assured dogmatically, watching with astute eyes as Raphael shut the screen behind himself with a little more force than was necessary, stalked over to the low table where his father was seated to give a slight perfunctory bow before dropping to sit rigidly, pointedly looking over the rats' shoulder toward a kanji print fixed on the wall.

A few minutes trickled by with no sound, no change in their respective postures. It was a tactic that often worked well on his other sons when they knew they were in the wrong. The pressure their own conscience, the silence, the considerate eyes of their father, created was enough to at least start them talking. Splinter knew it was unlikely to work on Raphael; he was too adept at hiding behind his wall of anger to be influenced greatly by subtle devices, using the heat of his rage to obscure his own guilt, even from himself.

However, it also gave the sensei time to regard his son, decide on the best way to breach that wall. He knew from experience that if he was not careful Raphael would either shut down, internalising his fury; or flare-up in an irrational outburst that could well lead to him storming out of the lair, or worse. Not that Splinter was afraid of his son, he feared _for_ him.

Raph blew a heavy breath through his nostrils in annoyance as his father took a long, deliberate sip of his tea. Splinter had expected it, knew it was only his sons' respect for him that prevented the turtle from demanding why he was wasting his time. Placing his cup back on the table with care the Master calmly stated;   
"I think it is time Tausha left us." He watched, almost in bemusement, as a gamut of emotions ran across his sons' face.

Raph was caught completely off-guard; he'd expected a lecture, or even a punishment, for the way he'd been acting lately. He knew he'd crossed a few lines; as always, once he'd gotten himself worked up over something, like Taus' hissy fit, he couldn't seem to unwind himself. There was too much other emotional crud he just didn't know how to deal with; it was easier staying mad. But his fathers' blunt suggestion seemed to bring all the stuff he tried so hard to suppress straight to the surface. It almost threatened to overwhelm him, feeling he'd been swept up in a vortex, before it all subsided leaving him strangely cold and empty at the thought of her leaving.   
"Why?" he finally managed to utter.

"Do you know why I allowed Tausha to stay with us?" Splinter gently queried. As Raph shook his head, his father continued "I believed that out of the four of you, the majority were happy for her to stay. Despite your initial falling out with her over her father, I was impressed with how quickly you resolved that anger to accept her as a friend once more. And that left only Leonardo with concerns regarding her staying with us. You are no longer children, Raphael. I have tried to step back from arbitrating solely on the basis of what I deem is right, and allow you and your brothers to make your own decisions. In relation to this girl, whilst I have my own concerns regarding your relationship with her, I am willing to let her stay as long as that majority in favour of her doing so is maintained."

Splinter paused to allow what he had said to sink in. He watched the cogs turning and started his answer before Raph could ask his inevitable question.   
"Over the past two weeks the tension between you and Tausha has been undeniable. I am starting to think that you have allowed your annoyance with certain events to strain the relationship you have with her to the point your friendship is in jeopardy. You fought so hard against circumstance, your brother…, and me, to build your relationship with this girl. I am disappointed that, in the end, you are allowing your own anger to defeat you."

"But…" Splinter over-rode Raphaels' objection to go on with his explanation, his voice growing stern,   
"She is not family as we are, my son. You cannot expect her to remain staunch in the face of your attempts to alienate yourself, as your brothers and I do. And I do not see any real reason why you should be behaving so towards each other, regardless. The only logical conclusion I can reach is you are no longer comfortable with her staying here."

Raph stared down into his lap, at the small towel he'd twisted tight in his hands. Eventually, he didn't bother looking up to murmur,   
"I don't want her to go…"   
"What will it take for you to reconcile this?"   
"An apology would be a nice start..." Raph muttered darkly. Deliberately 'mis-understanding' Splinter asked in his usual level tone;   
"Yes it would; why, then, have you not?" As he'd expected, his sons' head snapped up to favour him with a glare of disbelief and indignation.

"I meant from _her_!" snapped Raph "She started this whole mess! There's no way in hell I'm gonna say I'm sorry before she does!" Undaunted by his sons' outburst Splinter calmly pointed out;   
"Tausha seems to have overcome the worst of her annoyance over what transpired at Halloween, although I suspect she may feel that you are the one that is required to apologise first…"   
"Tough." scowled Raph.   
"My son, a battle ends when the opponents down weapons and step away; actions often speak louder than words."

The sensei paused to see if his advice had any impact, watching as his son muttered something evil under his breath. Despairing that Raphael needed more than words to spur him into action, Splinter fixed him with a stern look.   
"You have two days in which to rectify this situation. If I don't see you at least make an attempt to resolve the issues between Tausha and yourself in that time, I will evict her from our home." Raph gaped at him in utter shock.   
"B…but if you send her back to Hun…, he'll hurt her!" It was all Splinter could do to maintain his strict countenance, the father in him wanting to console his son at the sudden distress in voice. As it was, only his tone softened slightly;   
"There are other options we can consider in regards to where she can go. I, too, do not wish to see Tausha punished by her father. I will not force the two of you to apologise to one another, but I do expect you to take every opportunity to make amends and bring an end to your hostilities as soon as possible. Is _that_ clear?" A brief battle between apprehension and indignation played out on Raphaels' face, before he dropped his head to mutter,   
"Yes…,Master."

---------- ----------

"And here I was, thinking you didn't care for the 'finer things in life'!" teased April lightly as she filled the last tall, plastic glass with champagne and put it on the tray with the others.   
"Yeah? Well, I can stomach 'em once a year I reckon!" laughed Tau in reply, rinsing the small punnet of imported strawberries she'd asked for.   
"Ow!" pouted Mike as Tau slapped his hand away from stealing a fruit.   
"Just wait 'till we've finished will ya?" she berated him with a grin.   
"Why? What'cha gonna do with 'em?" asked Mike, curiously looking over her shoulder.   
"This!" explained Tau; pulling the leaves off one berry she dropped it into one of the bubbly-filled glasses.   
"Ooooh, does that make the champagne taste like strawberry?" enthused Mike.   
"Nope. But it makes the strawberry taste like champagne!"   
"Awesome!" Mike grinned as he picked up the tray to carry it out to the living room.

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Don, helping to move the pizza boxes and make some room on the coffee table for Mikes' tray. The race was starting at 11:00am in Melbourne, so it was airing at 07:00pm in New York. Since it coincided fairly closely with dinner-time the plan had been to save the pizzas' until after the event. Half had survived so far.   
"Is this really how they celebrate this in Australia Tau?" asked Leo, pushing the brim of his hat back up out of his eyes.   
"Yep!" she grinned.

Mike had come up with the idea of making hats, instead of finding them. Besides, he had a good store of bright craft paper for them to use. Leo's had been the first made, hence why it was a little too large, but the simple 'pirate hat' design had worked well overall, and produced two large, flat surfaces on which images from the pile of horse pictures Mike had scavenged, from magazines and the like, could be glued. The other turtles each had one in their favourite colour; Splinter's was white, Casey's black, April's yellow and Tau's green.

At first Splinter had thought the yellow creature, drawn in Michelangelos' unmistakable hand on each side of Taus' hat, was a rat. But that didn't make any sense, especially since the animals' feet seemed too long and it was wearing… boxing gloves? Shaking his head the sensei had dismissed it as yet another part of her culture he didn't understand. Mikes' was the only hat that was different. He'd tried his hand at making a cardboard top-hat, and had done quite well. Of course it was bright orange, and boasted a 'My Little Pony' (sans tail) stuck to the top of it!

"Thank you April." said Splinter, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice as he eyed the berry at the bottom the glass she gave him. "Thank you very much!" he brightened as she offered him first pick of the fresh berries that she'd hidden behind her back.   
"Well, this seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to for some damn horse-race." grumbled Casey, shifting to make room for April on the couch. "What's so red-hot special about it anyway?" Tau shot him an incredulous look from her where she'd sat on the floor, the far side of the coffee table, between Don and Mike.   
"Um, hellooo! It's the 'Melbourne Cup'. Only the greatest horse-race in the world! Sheesh! Back home they call it the 'race that stops a nation'; and it does! Everyone watches it. I've never missed going to one yet! Well, not since Mum and I moved back to live in Oz anyway..." she petered out.

Sat next to Casey on the sofa, Leo nudged him with his elbow, giving him a shake of his head. Confused Casey looked to Raph perched up on the arm of the couch for an explanation, but only got a terse shrug in reply. Casey didn't push it, it was pretty clear that Raph wasn't in a great mood, his hat crumpled in his hands. Given Mike had seen fit to glue pictures prominently featuring the rear ends of horses onto the red paper, Casey figured he could see why.

Fascinated, for the most part, the group watched the events unfold on the big screen. The women moving about the stands, dressed in gaudy and outlandish outfits, only made more bizarre by the often too large hats they wore; the dapper looking men, many in long-tailed tuxedos and top hats. Tau gave her own running commentary, pointing out people and horses she knew, explaining the jargon being used, and answering questions from her friends. Finally, the time for the actual race arrived, and even Casey found himself leaning further and further forward as the commentator got more and more excited, clapping and giving a "WHOOT!" as the horses crossed the finish line.

Tau's reaction was even greater; she leapt in the air pumping a fist in victory.   
"YEAH! I KNEW Serenity would win! I just _knew_ it!"

"You ok?" Don queried with a raised eye-ridge as she seemed to wipe away a tear. Nodding vigorously she turned back to the TV to watch the post-race interviews. Once the winning trainer and jockey had been grilled, the reporters turned their attentions to other dignitaries at the track. A group of rosy-cheeked, older gentlemen appeared on the screen.   
"OH! Mr Reynolds! He was like an uncle to me…" exclaimed Tau, quieting to hear what was being said.

"Who woulda thought Serenity'd win it, eh? After comin' in last, last year." asked one jovial looking fellow; almost spilling the pint of beer in his hand as he gestured.   
"I c'n tell you who." replied Mr Reynolds solemnly "Ol' Benny Corbin, God rest his soul. He told me to look out fer that mare last year. 'She may start slow', 'e said 'but give 'er a chance and she'll surprise yer.' I c'n tell yer, I'm glad I took that advice" he patted a thick wad in his top shirt pocket. "I propose a toast. 'To Benny.' Thanks fer everything mate! We miss ya."   
"Here, here." murmured all his compatriots, raising their glasses.

"So who was this 'Benny' guy?" grinned Mike, expecting another yarn from Tau. He'd loved hearing all her little snippets about the people on the screen. His smile waned as she put her hand to her face, her back still to the rest of the group as she stood in front of the TV.   
"Tau…, are you alright babe?" he asked in concern. Tau started to nod but it quickly changed to a shake of her head. An instant later she dashed away, her hand still over her mouth as she sprinted up the stairs to her room; her hat falling, unchecked, back down to the main floor. Shocked by her sudden change in demeanour the rest of the group barely moved until her door banged shut.

Mike and Don shared a worried look;   
"What'd I say…?" asked Mike forlornly.   
"I'm not entirely sure…" replied Leo, rising from the couch "but it's obvious something's upset her. I'll go talk to her."   
"No, wait Leo. I should do it 'cos…"   
"Hang on guys; maybe it'd be best if I had a girl to g…"   
"Stop." Splinter interrupted Mike and April, his stern tone gaining everyone's attention. "I think Raphael is the most prudent one to speak with her." All four turtles gaped at him in disbelief.

"I… I'm sorry Sensei, but I don't think they're on the best of terms at the moment." cautioned Leo.   
"Raphael has known her longer and better than any of us. Does it not stand to reason then that he should be the most able to console her?" asked the Master.   
"I suppose so." murmured Don after a long pause. Splinter fixed his tempestuous student with an incisive look;   
"Well, my son? You are her friend, are you not?" Given his despicable attitude of late, Leo expected Raph to irately argue the point. To his surprise his brother looked almost pale, his jaw working briefly as if he were about to speak before he gave a curt nod and set off after the girl.

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A/N: For those that are wondering about the Aussie references in this chapter; I was not exagerrating about the insanity the Melbourne Cup race incites here in Oz. There is a parade for it the day before through the streets of Melbourne. On the day anybody who is anybody in Oz in terms of celebrity, politics or involved with the 'horsie set'' try to be there, a fashion (and hat) competition is held at Flemington Racecourse (where it is run), just about everyone places some kinda bet on the race, and the results of it are newsworthy to the national media for anythng up to a week afterwards.

There are also 'creative' hat competitions across the country, and work stops whilst all watch it on TV. At one place I used to work the resident socialite even tried to ban access to the alcohol for those that did not wear a hat specifically decorated for the day. Needless to say she was soon put in her place and the beer and champers flowed free to all! I have no idea when or why the champaigne and strawberries tradition originated, but that is another staple 'must do' for the event. The idea is to leave the strawberry in the glass over multiple drinks. It makes the strawberry taste like mush, but it does also seem to pack a wallop in terms of getting you even more drunk! Or maybe it's just the extra little bit of sugar that does it after downing a couple of bottles of champaigne... lol! Needless to say the characters only had one glass each in this chapter, I reckon they've suffered enough hang-over wise in this already!

Finally, Tau's hat is green because 'green and gold' are the Aussie sporting colours. The 'rat' on the side of her hat is a boxing kangeroo, another sporting icon.

PS: Kudos to you if you spot the 'Firelfy' references in this chapter. I don't own anything of theirs either! If only the Fox network had listened to such adivce, eh?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Should I be worried? Probably! I realised a couple of days ago that I posted my first fic, and the beginning of the TT Series last November! It's been a year already? GAH! I have to get these fics moving along a bit quicker than this, huh? LOL! Oh well, at least I'm back to reasonably regular updates with this series again. Gonna stick to fortnightly updates for the TT series for a little while, but I'm almost back to knocking over a chapter a week again, so with any luck I may get back to weekly updates early next year. Touch-wood, fingers-crossed eh?

Many thanks to CPQ for beta-reading; great job as always chica. Many thanks too for the reviews from artykidd and The REAL Cheese Monkey. Love gettin' 'em!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Raph paused at her door. Glancing down at his hand he balled it into a tight fist to still the tremors before he reached for the knob. The door creaked slightly as it opened. Poking his head into her room he saw her sitting with one leg crooked on her bed, her other foot on the floor, back to the door, head down as if she were looking at her hands in her lap. The only sound was another quiet creak as he pushed the door further.   
"Not now…, please?" she murmured, not moving at all. Raph paused again, unsure what to do. Looking back over his shoulder towards the main room he realised he couldn't go back down to face his Master yet. Like it or not, he had to respect the ultimatum he'd been given. And despite all the awkwardness and anger between them, he knew in his heart of hearts he couldn't allow her to be kicked out. It'd weigh much too heavily on his conscience for a start.

The gap he'd already made was wide enough for him to slip through, and he didn't bother closing the door behind him. Instinctively cautious, he crept toward her bed to sit on the edge behind her, making her jump badly as his weight shifted the mattress.   
"Argh! Mike! I said 'not n…'." she whipped her head around "Raph? What the…? You scared the livin' daylights outta me!" she accused. Raph grimaced, but bit back on his acerbic response, remembering a clash now wouldn't be in his best interests.   
"So?" he grumbled defensively instead.   
"'So!' I'm seriously not interested in fighting with you right now!" she ended with a snuffle despite her cutting tone. That was when Raph realised how red her eyes were, her cheeks sodden, before she turned her back on him again.

Raph clenched his fists. Didn't she know how important this was? On reflection; maybe not. He almost opened his mouth to tell her, but figured it would probably just upset her more if she knew how close she was to being booted. And that would just make things that much harder. Trying to think of something constructive to say he found himself gazing at her, realizing she was clutching something protectively against her front as she fought against the sobs that sporadically won through, making her shudder.

Steeling himself he reached around her to grasp the small book she was holding.   
"What are you interested in then?" he asked as nicely as he could, slowly forcing her to tip it so he could see. She didn't say a word, and apart from some small resistance to his moving it, did little to stop him as he peered at the album in her hands.   
"Hey, the guy in this photo…he's that guy off the TV. Who's this he's huggin'?" he pointed to the other man in the image.   
"Benny." she eventually whispered, staring at the bare wall above the head of her bed. Raph scowled in confusion, but guessing she wasn't gonna give him anything else to go on he turned back to the album, quickly flicking to the next page, and the next. Almost every picture had 'Benny' in it, along with a woman Raph hadn't seen before. Tau featured in a couple of the images, but it took one in particular to make Raph click.

In the photo Tau was stood between Benny and the woman, all of them beaming proudly over a birthday cake as she held up a sheathed sword, the scabbard wrought in midnight blue. He'd never seen her katana, but she had described it to him before. Including how she'd gotten it for her fifteenth birthday, and from whom.   
"Oh." he breathed in comprehension, feeling a little foolish since it all suddenly seemed so obvious.   
"Damn it!" she cursed suddenly, making Raph start "I shouldn't be reacting like this; it's been nearly a year!" she knuckled her eyes viciously. Gently grasping her shoulder Raph said;   
"They were your family, Tau." She continued on, as if he hadn't spoken.   
"I knew this would be a test, but I thought I'd gotten through it ok, 'till… Shit. I shoulda stopped watching after the race. I shoulda realised someone would say something! Damn it! I shoulda stopped them getting in the damn car to start off wi… argh!" she exclaimed as he wrenched her about by the shoulders to face him.   
"Don't be stupid." he rebuked harshly "You make it sound like it was all your fault!"   
"Well maybe it was!" she yelled back, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks.

Taken aback Raph eyed her as she glared at him in defiance.   
"It was an accident, right?" he asked.   
"Yeah." her voice cracked.   
"So how can that be your fault?" He saw the pain flicker in her eyes before she dropped her head, relying on his hands to support her.   
"I dunno…" she murmured "but this last year everyone I care about just seems to… 'slip away' somehow. Mum an' Grandad…, Dad…," she sighed "…you." Raph frowned in bewilderment.   
"Me? I'm still here…" Tau looked him in the eye.   
"Are you?" she sniffed.   
"Yeah." he assured with a small lop-sided grin. She gave him an uncertain smile in return. Suddenly wanting her close, he scooped her up to sit her sideways on his lap, holding her tight until she abandoned her weak protestations to rest her head on his shoulder.

They sat like that for a long while, savouring the peace. Eventually Tau murmured;   
"Raph?"   
"Um-hm?"   
"Why did you wait up for us last night?" Raph shrugged, Tau pressed on quietly "Oh. Why did you come up here then?"   
"I…, uh… dunno."   
"Hmm…, I'm glad you did. You know, I realised something last night."   
"What?" he asked warily; unsure he really wanted to know. She'd been spending a heck of a lot of time in the lab recently, and 'Fearless' had been pretty blunt over who could and couldn't go with 'em last night. If it regarded either of his brothers… he swallowed thickly.   
"That even though we aren't really happy with each other, I… missed you." she whispered.   
"You did?" he sounded a little incredulous.   
"Yeah. And…I hate it when we fight." she sighed, her breath warming his neck, her head still resting on his shoulder. Raph blinked to clear his vision of a sudden blurriness.   
"Me too." he finally croaked; smiling slightly as he felt Tau snuggle against him.

Another lengthy quiet fell as he mulled over the last few days. He still felt the gnawing tension at the back of his mind, it had been there for quite some time now, but the ups and downs they'd gone through at Halloween had really made it flare up. For the first time he allowed himself to scrutinize it, as opposed to trying to scour it away in aggravation. To this end he realized he'd actually been trying to antagonise Tau these last couple of days; some irrational, primal part of him had figured if he could push things to a breaking point, they'd either fight or… either way he wouldn't be so damn frustrated anymore.

He sighed; what the hell had he been doing? He didn't want either of those outcomes, at least not in isolation. He wanted this too, the warmth, the… trust. He thanked whichever lucky star was looking out for him that she'd all but ignored him, refusing to rise to his bait, as friggin' annoying as that had been at the time regardless.

"Tau?" he whispered. Thinking she hadn't heard him he tried a little louder, pulling his head back to try to see her face.   
"Tau? I just wanna say…, I…, I'm sor…" her head lolled on his shoulder as a light snore escaped her. His irritation was quashed as he studied her face; she looked so serene, vulnerable. Gently he wiped the last of the dampness away from around her eyes, noticing the dark shadows beneath them. Had she spent the last few nights staring into the darkness too?

Raph felt the need to make some sort of amends, though his throat was too tight to say a word and he didn't want to wake her. Hesitantly, he pressed a light, lingering kiss to her temple, despairing she'd ever understand the depth of remorse and feeling behind it, even if she'd been awake. Was it just his imagination then, that she seemed even more at peace, as he gazed at her face again? Gently he ran his thumb down her cheek. Giving in partially to temptation, he traced the corner of her lips. With a sigh he dropped his hand to her shoulder, wondering what he should do now…

It was quiet; too darn quiet for his liking. In the last five minutes he'd been stood against the wall beside her open door, all he'd heard was a whisper so muted he couldn't make out what was being said. He knew better than to skulk in hallways, spying on his brother, but something akin to dread stopped him from making his presence known. He was always wary of the unexpected, and quiet was the last thing he'd anticipated here.

Finally he heard the faint rustle of movement, and a couple of dull thuds, but it was the low grunt that made him look.   
"What the shell?"   
"Shhhh!" Raph scowled at him, finger to lips, as he straightened from leaning over the bed "She's sleeping, Leo!" he whispered harshly, pulling the blankets up and over the girl.   
"Oh…, sorry!" murmured Leo sincerely, realizing as his brother moved out of his line of sight that he'd jumped to the wrong conclusion; considering she was still fully clothed. Hurriedly he stooped to pick up the pair of boots that had been tossed haphazardly on the floor to set them neatly at the end of the bed.

Leo took a step towards the door before he realised his brother wasn't leaving. Curious, he joined Raph stood next to the head of her bed, though he studied his bothers' face as opposed to the girls'.   
"It was her Grandfather, wasn't it?" he asked softly once it was obvious Raph wasn't going to break the quiet. Raph looked up at him briefly in surprise before he returned to his own vigil.   
"Yeah, trust you to have it figured." he muttered derisively.   
"You didn't?" Leo was a little surprised. Raph shook his head.   
"I shoulda, but nothing seems simple anymore. I just can't stop thinkin'… tryin' to figure… 'stuff' out. But the more I think, the less sense it all makes." he grasped his forehead "It's drivin' me nuts! I know I shouldn't…, I can't take it out on her. I don't wanna drive her away. It's just… so hard… for me to…" he petered out, sounding lost.   
"Stop?" offered Leo.   
"Yeah, guess so." Raph dropped his hands, his shoulders slumping.

Gently placing a reassuring hand on his brothers' arm, Leo advised,   
"You have to try, Raph. You should enjoy your friendship, as it is, while you can. There's nothing worse than parting on bad terms." Eventually Raph nodded, walking away to pause by the door.   
"Yeah, right Leo." he murmured before stepping out. With a sigh Leo followed his brother, turning out the lights in the room and closing the door as he left.

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(Late afternoon, two days later…)

'CRACK' sounded the shinai.   
"OW! Raph! That was an illegal strike, if you can't play by the rules…" fumed Leo, bending to rub his stinging thigh.   
"Tch, Leo you live by the rules, you'll die by the rules. 'sides aint the point to 'incapacitate your opponent with one blow'?" Raph smirked at his hobbling brother, enjoying the irate glare he got in reply.   
"Tau?" Leo petitioned their referee, his look growing even darker as he realised her lips were twitching, trying to stifle a laugh. She shook her head in mock dismay at their antics, her eyes still glinting in amusement as she delivered her verdict.   
"Sorry Raph, but I can't give you a point for that."

Their replies were curtailed by the elevator doors hissing open.   
"Yo, Case-man!" Mike raised a hand in greeting from the couch as their friend entered.   
"Hey guys! What's all this then?" Casey asked, sauntering over to the dojo as Raph and Leo doffed the helmets of their make-shift armour.   
"Ken-do." Leo started to explain "It's…"   
"A great way to kill some time." interrupted Raph, tossing his baseball catchers mask hard at Casey for him to catch. "So what's your excuse for buggin' us so early?"

To their surprise, Casey coloured slightly.   
"Yeah, well, April's gotta stay back fer a meetin' at work. Sounds like she's gonna be stuck there a while, so I thought I'd take the chance to get over here an'…, well…, I kinda wanna ask you guys somethin'…" Raph and Leo shared a brief, dubious look.   
"Yeah. You are ugly!" teased Raph with a grin.   
"Hardy har har. That's rich comin' from _you_, gack-face!" retorted Casey.

Worried things were about to descend into the usual tussle, before Casey could ask his favour, Leo stepped between his brother and their friend.   
"Hold up. What do you want to know Casey?" he asked, hoping his no-nonsense tone would translate to the situation. Curious, Mike left the couch, bag of chips in hand, to make his way over to the group.

"You gotta promise you _won't_ tell April." the unusual gravity with which Casey asked stunned all four in his audience. Don, after poking his head out of the lab to see what was going on, started meandering over too, what looked to be a small, greasy motor in his hands.   
"It's not something she's going to be upset about is it?" Leo queried warily.   
"No! Nah, 'course not! Or, at least…, I _hope_ not!" flustered Casey, colouring again. Realising his friend was being serious, for once, Leo capitulated;   
"Alright Casey, we promise, on the condition it's nothing that'll hurt her. Now what's the problem?"   
"It's not a problem; I just need you guys to… look after somethin' for me." Casey dumped Raphs' helmet on the floor to start hunting for something in his pockets. "A-ha! Here it is!" fishing out a small velvet-covered box he held it nervously for a moment, steeling himself to flip back its top half to show everyone.

"So? What d'ya think?" Casey prompted.   
"That's AWESOME!" cried Mike "Here, I'll look after it for ya!" Leo grabbed his hand, stopping him reaching for the diamond ring; Casey quick to hold it high, out of reach.   
"No-way we're trustin' _you_ with that, lame-brain! Give it here Case." Raph held out an expectant hand.   
"Ah…, I was thinkin' more…" hedged Casey.   
"That _I_ could keep it safe?" The whole group turned to see Splinter stood on the step above the dojo.   
"Um…, yeah…, kinda…" Casey grinned self-consciously.   
"Of course." Splinter agreed with a warm smile of his own.

"Oh come-on Case, at least let us have a better look at it!" begged Mike, not giving Casey much choice as he pulled his arm back down.   
"OK, ok…, just be careful with it, alright." fretted Casey.   
"Like '_duh_'!" Mike admonished, inspecting the luminous gem closely to give a low appreciative whistle; Raph elbowing him out of the way to take a look himself.   
"Do you think she'll like it?" worried Casey.   
"Of course, bone-head." assured Raph "Where'd ya get the green for it? I thought you were broke?"   
"I am now!" Casey laughed "I've been savin' a bit here an' there. But, it's funny, the stuff from Hun helped out in the end."   
"Casey, you didn't. That money was counterfeit!" exclaimed Leo.   
"Nah! I wouldn't try that on, Leo. Heh, it turned out those briefcases were real Italian leather! I got a good price for 'em, even second-hand."

"W… when you gonna give it to her?" queried Don softly.   
"Christmas!" beamed Casey.   
"Huh? Why'd you get it so early then?" asked Raph. Casey shrugged;   
"There was a sale on. I was gonna wait, get 'er a bigger one, but I don't think I'd be able to save much more for it in time, so… Do you think it's big enough? Hey Tau, you're a girl, right? What do you reckon?" He shoved the box past the turtles, towards her. Tau quickly looked herself up and down.   
"Last time I checked." she confirmed dryly "But it is pretty, I'm sure she'll love it." she smiled.

Caseys' face fell, around 10,000 feet.   
"'Pretty'? Isn't that like 'girly code' for 'not good enough'?" he panicked "Shit! I knew I shoulda got 'er a bigger one…!"   
"No!" Tau grasped his arm in reassurance "No, Casey, it's fine, really! I just don't get that excited over jewellery and stuff. I'm sure any other girl you showed it to would be deafening you with squeals and getting all over-excited, and that includes April."   
"Really?" Casey asked warily.   
"Yeah! It's not the size of it that matters anyway; it's what it stands for. That's what makes it truly… _beautiful_." she pledged sincerely.

Casey eyed her dubiously for a long moment.   
"You don't… 'drink from a furry cup', d'ya?" he questioned hesitantly. One of Taus' eyebrows twitched as Mike uttered;   
"Huh?" the same sentiment reflected on the faces of his brothers.   
"Ya know, 'vagitarian'… that kinda thing?" Casey tried to explain further, as Taus' eyebrow climbed her forehead, "'Cos it's alright if ya do, I've got nuthin' against it, but it's just a bit weird; you never seem that keen on boys an'… stuff." he started to fluster, Tau bursting out in laughter cutting him off.   
"Oh!" she wiped a hand down her face in an attempt to regain her composure, fixing Casey with as steady a look as she could manage "No. I am not a lesbian, Casey." she tried to assure levelly, failing as she succumbed to another giggle.

"Ah, well…, sorry then…" he blushed as he apologised, taking a quick half-step back from the evil glare Raph shot him. Given most of the rest of the group seemed torn, unsure whether to be embarrassed for, or defend, the girl; he figured Raph had gone the second option. Thankfully even the hot-head seemed to take the cue as Tau shook her head, waving his apology away as un-necessary with a grin.

Mike had been the first of the turtles to see the funny side of the situation, chuckling himself as Casey had attempted to apologise.   
"Hehehe! It is gonna make the best Christmas present ever!" he exclaimed.   
"Huh?" Tau sobered suddenly "You're not gonna give it to her _for_ Christmas… are ya?" she asked in all seriousness.   
"Well, yeah." admitted Casey "It's not like I can afford to get her anything else!"   
"Nuh-uh" cautioned Tau, with a wag of her finger "_Not_ a good idea."   
"Why not?" chorused Mike and Casey. She rolled her eyes;   
"'Cos telling someone you wanna spend the rest of your life with 'em is a bit more important than a Christmas present. That way it sorta seems like your love for them is on a par with what you feel for everyone else you're givin' gifts to. Surely what you feel for April is a bit more special than that?" she contended, folding her arms.

"Ohhh." Mike nodded in comprehension.   
"But, what can I get 'er for Christmas then?" Casey asked, unconvinced. Tau shrugged,   
"I dunno…, it doesn't have to be anything big does it?" she pondered "An IOU for dinner at a nice restaurant, write her a poem (Raph sniggered)… or something like chocolate body paint if you want to be cheeky!" Casey lost himself deep in thought for a minute, as Mikey gave her a sly grin at her last suggestion.

"Don't even think it, green-boy!" she admonished; stopping whatever Mike was about to say with a sternly raised finger, despite the glint in her eye that betrayed she was enjoying the banter too.   
"But…!" he protested.   
"If I get anything like that I'll be eating it in my room." she warned in a no-nonsense tone, Mikes' grin growing more devious.   
"Alone." she added, Mikes' look turned thoughtful, but far from defeated.   
"With a spoon..., very boringly." she dead-panned.   
"Awww…" Mike finally conceded, ignoring the reprimanding look from Leo, and the silent threat of death Raph was sending him, to share a brief, conspiratorial grin with Tau.

"I don't know…" muttered Casey, oblivious to all but his own deliberations "I kinda got it all planned…" Tau shrugged.   
"It's your choice Case, and you know April better than I do. I just know any guy that tried to give me an engagement ring for Christmas would be lucky if I only _told_ him where to shove it." "Yeah. But…, you're weird!" he argued. Tau shrugged again with a grin.   
"Point taken!" she acknowledged breezily.

Lifting his muzzle to sniff the air, Splinter interjected,   
"It smells as if dinner is ready. Will you be joining us this evening Casey?"   
"Don't mind if I do!" perked the vigilante.   
"Alright!" enthused Mike; grabbing Caseys' hand for last look at the ring, and flashing him a grin, before he dashed off towards the kitchen to serve out.

Leo placed a light hand on the man's arm, gaining his attention.   
"I'm sure she'll be happy, however you decide to give her the ring. Congratulations Casey." he smiled warmly, turning away to begin gathering the equipment strewn about the dojo, Tau giving him a hand to tidy up.   
"Uh, yeah… congratulations." added Don quietly, hastily making his way to the bathroom to wash the grease from his hands.

"Come Casey." invited Splinter with a crook of his paw "Let us get the ring put somewhere safe." With nothing better to do, Raph joined his friend in following his Master into his room. Heading straight to the back corner, past his meditation cushion, Splinter quickly removed the candles and other items he had resting on top of a wooden chest. Opening it, he withdrew a metal strongbox that was missing its padlock. Pulling back the lid, the sensei presented the box to his friend. Carefully Casey placed the ring-case alongside the small rolls of cash within.

"Thanks." the vigilante smiled, attempting a halting bow in gratitude as Splinter closed the lid of the metal box in his hands. Graciously returning the gesture, Splinter assured,   
"You are most welcome, Casey-san." Feeling a little out of place in such refined company and surrounds, Casey fidgeted,   
"I, ah, I'm gonna go help Mike get dinner served… yeah." Splinter smiled as the man made his way out, stepping awkwardly around the cushions and such on the floor. Straightening from replacing the strongbox back within the chest he was a little surprised to find his son was still stood behind him.

"He really cares for her, huh?" commented Raph softly, staring at the strongbox.   
"Yes my son, he does." agreed the sage rat, giving a slow nod before he fixed his son with a penetrating look. Unsure if he were in trouble, Raph instinctively braced himself.   
"I set you a challenge two days ago, and I wish to speak with you regarding your progress with it." stated Splinter levelly, giving nothing away. Raph gulped, but nodded regardless. The Master watched his son shift nervously for a moment, before allowing a warm smile to grace his features.

"I am proud of you, my son." he admitted lovingly.   
"Huh? You are?" Raph was a little surprised, and distracted; he'd been trying to pull together arguments for his case in head.   
"Yes. I still sense a tension about you that is of concern to me, but you have made a valiant effort to rein-in your temper and make peace with your brothers, and Tausha."   
"So… does that mean… she can stay?" asked Raph hopefully.   
"Yes." Splinters' nod was cut short as Raph grabbed him in a fierce hug. "The conditions for her to stay still stand however…" he wheezed over his sons' shoulder, returning his embrace as best he could. Raph nodded.   
"Thanks Dad." he whispered into his Fathers' fur.

---------- ----------

"Who's up for a top-side run tonight?" solicited Mike as they started clearing the dinner table, Splinter already settling in his armchair for an evening of current affairs and talk-shows.   
"Heck yeah!" agreed Casey "So long as we take it a bit easy." he sub-consciously rubbed his thigh, the burn that was healing well on his leg hidden under his pants.   
"Count me in!" grinned Raph, his smile fading a little as he noticed Tau duck her head awkwardly as she left, carrying dishes to the kitchen.   
"I got… something I need to work on." mumbled Don, with a shake of his head, before he too carried a pile of plates away. Concerned, Leo followed his brother with his eyes until he disappeared through the doorway. Don had hardly said a word during the meal.   
"I think I'll stay here tonight, in-case Donnie needs any help with what he's working on." stated Leo.   
"You sure bro?" Mike petitioned.

As his brothers and Casey kept talking, Raph slipped away into the kitchen, almost running into Tau just inside the doorway as she was trying to leave the room. After a couple of brief apologies they found themselves stood nervously, practically face-to-face, both unsure what to do next. A brief glance at his brother reassured Raph that Don was too busy with his chore of cleaning the plates to pay them much mind. In a whisper he asked of her,   
"You ok with me goin' out?" She eyed him askance, whispering back,   
"'Course, why wouldn't I be?"   
"It's just, what you said the other night…" he flustered. She gave him a crooked smile.   
"Yeah, but I don't expect you to hang around just for me. I'll be fine…, really. So go, ok?"

Raph considered for a moment then met her eyes again with a roguish grin.   
"Just so long as you're not gonna waste away, pining for me or anythin'." he teased under his breath. The look of umbrage she attempted was ruined by the gleam of amusement in her eye.   
"Believe me, I'm not at any risk of that!" she retorted in a low voice, then made him start by ordering out loud "Now 'git', ya reprobate!" as she made a show of driving him out of the kitchen in front of her.

A few minutes later Raph, Mike and Casey were ready to go.   
"Take care, my sons." called Splinter as they headed toward the elevator. Both Mike and Raph nodded in reply, not bothering to stop as Leo continued on from his father,   
"Be sure to call if anything happens, don't take any stupid risks, don't be out past…"   
"Yes _Mom_." derided Raph. Leo countered Mikes' snickers with a scowl of his own. "Anyway, don't blow a gasket. We won't be gone too long, 'k?" Raph continued addressing his brother, though he managed to sneak a wink at Tau. He realised immediately that was a mistake, the smile and wink she gave him back almost changing his mind about going out. Steeling himself he led the way into the lift. No matter what anyone else, or he, _wanted_ to do; he was planning to take down a good number of street scum tonight. He needed a decent work-out.

As the elevator doors closed, Don shuffled out of the kitchen.   
"Do you want me to help you with anything tonight Don?" Tau asked as he wandered past, seemingly lost in thought.   
"Huh?" he perked his head up as if surprised by her question, before looking back to the floor to continue making his way to the lab, murmuring "No, no, it's fine…, there's just… something I gotta get done… I'd rather do it myself… thanks." As he disappeared through the doorway Tau turned to Leo, seeing the same concern she felt etched on his face.   
"Has he said anything to her?" she queried gently. Leo sighed and gave a shrug.   
"What's the point?" he asked despondently. As she considered the days' events, Tau had to concede with a nod.

"At least Raph seems to have taken my advice these last couple of days." Leo attempted a smile.   
"Huh? What advice?"   
"That he should start treating you like the friend you are, before it's too late and you end up parting ways as foes." he explained. Tau was taken aback for a moment.   
"Thank you." she finally said, with sincere gratitude.   
"It's nothing really. I've never been opposed to you two being friends… _only_." he emphasised with a lecturing finger "Besides, it makes all our lives easier, when he's not being completely contemptible all the time." dismissed Leo. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me for the next couple of hours, would you like to go few rounds of Ken-do?" With a surreptitious glance towards the elevator doors Tau nodded with a sigh.   
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind the work-out. Feel like I could use a decent one… uh, after all the practice I've missed." she added quickly with a sheepish grin.

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A/N: And the super-bonus soundtrack theme for today is - cue Mike Jagger and the choir;

"_You can't always get what you want   
You can't always get what you want   
But if you try sometimes, you just might find   
You get what you need_"

(Lyrics available in the public domain; and mine? ROFL, you kidding? I wish!)


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: The movie referenced in the start of this chapter is an anime. The main character in it is a female, anti-terrorist cop in Tokyo in the not-too-distant future. She is a cyborg whose biological components are basically just her brain and spine, though she looks like a normal woman for all intents and purposes. Even so, she is starting to question her own humanity. Through the course of an investigation she uncovers an advanced AI program that claims to have developed a 'ghost' of its own. Since the line between man and machine can be very difficult to distinguish in this future setting, the main distinguisher between the two is the presence of a soul or 'ghost' in those that are considered 'human'.

One of her cyborg abilities is a cloaking device that makes her all but invisible to the naked eye, except for some light distortion around her frame on occasion. However, the cloak does not extend to the clothes she is wearing, except for a few items that assist with it, so she only wears special boots/leggings, a belt and a curtain-like mask when invisible. I'll see if I can dig up some links to more info on this movie to post on the back-ground thread for this series at SS. Despite my terrible synopsis, it is a brilliant movie that I highly recommend to anyone that loves Japanese culture, awesome artwork, or just a darn good story IMHO.

CPQ, thanks a-plenty for beta-reading this; always appreciate you doin' this for me chica.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Stepping out of the movie theatre into the early evening, Raph shivered and pulled his trench coat collar higher against the icy fingers of the wind cutting through the city streets, and any glances from the crowds and traffic they shared the street with. Leading the group down the side-walk Leo, Don and April were caught-up in an avid discussion regarding the possibilities and implications of a machine developing a soul, though Leo was looking a little lost as Don and April started reverting to their own dialect. Behind them Mike was re-enacting his favourite bits of dialogue from 'Ghost in the Shell' for Tau as she laughed along with him.

Raph gave a low chuckle himself. He still couldn't quiet believe that she'd allowed Mike to dress her up so. But then she had been pretty nervous about the prospect of walking the streets; especially during daylight, as they had to get to the cinema on time. She was wearing the short, black wig again; tied up with large pink bows on either side of her head making the hair stick out almost at right angles. Mike had found the long, pink skirt dotted with a sunflower motif in a clothing donation bin. The yellow flip-flops were another relic from their childhood 'dress-up' collection, and the jumper was a hand-me-down from Don.

The woollen, violet pullover had been such a childhood favourite of his brothers' that he had steadfastly worn it until the day it simply refused to stretch all the way over his shell. He'd even needed a bit of help to get it off again. The neck of it had been stretched to the point it kept slipping down her right shoulder (she kept it pulled up snug to the left side of her neck to ensure her tattoo remained concealed), revealing the grey strap of the singlet she had stubbornly refused to replace with a frilly lilac blouse.

He had to admit he'd felt a little nervous too, during the film, but it was mainly due to the fact that no matter how he'd shifted in his seat they always seemed to end up touching. Not that he minded that, in the end he'd even pulled her head onto his shoulder… to stop the damn pigtails in her hair from tickling his cheek. The fact she hadn't objected to him leaving his arm around her shoulders was nice, not quite as nice as the feel of her hand coming to rest lightly just above his knee. However, he had also quickly added that to his list of reasons he hated wearing pants.

Still, she had abruptly shrugged him off just before the credits. He'd actually opened his mouth to complain when the movement of someone leaning forward further down the row caught his eye. Breathing a sigh of relief, he was glad Leo hadn't spotted the way they'd been sitting; the last thing he needed was a lecture when he hadn't done anything!

The last two weeks had been their own special kinda hell. He was sure she was torturing him. It wasn't anything she did, really, or said; it was her smile. The coy, little look he caught her giving him on occasion. At first he'd dismissed it; sure, they weren't fighting anymore, but he doubted she would be hugely happy with him again for some time. In the end it was Mike that had made him realise that she reserved that particular smile for him. His brother had come up with the theory, and had even flirted with her outrageously enough to eventually earn a playful bop on the head from her, but never that softness in her eyes, to prove it.

Even so, he'd staunchly tried to ignore it, not wanting to let his frustration get the better of him again. It was the same reason he tried to ignore the way her usual singlet and jeans moulded to her figure. At least he didn't have to worry about that at the moment, the jumper was too baggy and long on her to reveal her curves much, though the skirt she was wearing did show off her ankles nicely… he caught himself with that thought.   
'Her _ankles_? I _must_ be goin' nuts!' ran through his mind as he shook his head briefly to clear it.

"Wassup?" asked Casey, walking beside him.   
"Nuthin'!" replied Raph, a little sharply.   
"Heh heh yeah." drawled Casey with a taunting grin "I can't get the image of that chick outta my mind either!" he missed Raphs' evil glare to continue "If that's the way o' the future I can't wait till I get arrested by some mostly naked, not-quite-invisible babe! And you guys were right, it was even better on the big-screen!"   
"Huh? Oh, the movie! Yeah, right Case, whatever…" Casey eyed him dubiously for a moment.   
"You sure you're alright?"   
"I said 'yeah'!" snapped Raph. Casey threw his hands up in surrender.   
"Ok, gees! Chill, will ya?" Raph only tugged his hat down further in reply.

Half a block later April brought them to a halt under a bright red fluorescent sign reading 'Valentino's'.   
"Sorry guys, I'll only be a few minutes, I just have to pick up the cakes for tomorrows progress meeting at work. You coming Casey?" she asked as she opened the door, the warm smell of fresh bread and chocolate escaping from within. Casey quickly followed her inside, leaving the rest of the group to drag Mike away from the scent into the mouth of the alleyway that ran down the side of the building. They were careful not to go too far, around fifteen meters from the sidewalk the building was undercut by a loading bay wide enough to accommodate having a couple of cars parked within it as well. Light spilt from it, probably from an open doorway set out of view in the end wall of the alcove.

Raph leaned his back against the wall, glad to be sheltered from the breeze. His brothers looked a little chilled too, but Tau was practically blue; hugging herself and stamping her feet in an attempt to warm herself. She scowled a little as she jerked the errant jumper back up onto her right shoulder, only to have it start to slip down again almost immediately.   
"Brrrr! Where are the 30 degree days when you need 'em?" she griped.   
"30!" exclaimed Mike "It's not that cold babe! And I'da thought you'd want it hotter?"   
"She does Mike." Don explained, giving the top of her arms a rub and getting a grateful smile from her for it, though it didn't stop her shivering. "They use the Celsius scale in Australia, so that's 86 degrees Fahrenheit."   
"Ooh!" nodded Mike.   
"It'd be getting close to summer there now, right?" Don continued, asking Tau directly. She replied with a despondent nod.

Seeing her stood there so miserably; Raph got a sudden inspiration. Stifling a smirk with a frown for his brothers, since they weren't doing _that_ much to help her; he swiftly undid the front of his coat to pull her hard-up against him, enveloping her in the thick material too. Her small gasp of surprise at being yanked off her feet quickly changed to a grateful sigh as she snuggled into the warmth of his arms.   
"Raph…" started Leo in a dark warning tone.   
"What? She's cold!" Raph sharply cut him off, stating the obvious.   
"Yeah, cut 'em some slack bro!"   
"You know Leo; sharing body heat is a very efficient way to keep warm."

Raph succumbed to a smug grin as Leo rolled his eyes, giving up his current argument with a shake of his head. His smile suddenly became very brittle however, as she squirmed slightly. He wondered what the hell she was doing, running a chilled hand down the side of his plastron towards his belt. Unfortunately, or so he thought, it wasn't any of the myriad possibilities that flickered through his mind as she tugged the handle of one of his sai to the side, out of the way of her ribs. She quickly settled against him again, curling her hands behind and over his shoulders with another small, contented sigh.

Casey was starting to pace a little, already bored at looking at the few rolls, cakes and other treats left in the glass cabinets lining the walls. Thinking the proprietors hadn't heard the door chime when they had entered, April rang the small bell on the counter. It was still another couple of minutes before a harried looking Italian matron made her way through the doorway from the kitchen to the serving-counter, the door swinging shut behind her.   
"Oh, Miss O'Neil! I'm-a so sorry to keep you waiting!" she flustered, wringing her hands in her apron.   
"It's not a worry Mrs Valentino." assured April "I guess you're a bit busy tonight, huh?"   
"Si, si. Busy." nodded Mrs Valentino vigorously, glancing back towards the door she'd come through, "Now how can I-a help you?" she smiled nervously.   
"I just need to pick up the cakes my work ordered earlier."   
"Oh? Oh! Of course, how-a silly of me; forgetting. They're all ready to go, I'll just-a fetch them for you." the elder lady flustered as she hurriedly backed through the door, closing it behind her again.

A couple of minutes later Casey wandered over to wrap April in a hug from behind.   
"Do you think there's something wrong?" she asked him, a little concerned at Mrs Valentino's demeanour and the unusual wait. Casey shrugged, his attention given over to nuzzling her ear. A loud bang, metal on metal, that seemed to come from the kitchen made them both start.   
"There _is_ something wrong, we should help." breathed April.   
"It's probably nuthin'…" another loud bang interrupted Caseys' whisper. They shared a brief look to settle their agreement, before they snuck around the end of the counter to listen at the door. Casey grabbed Aprils' hand as she went to push it open; silently indicating that he should go first.

Creeping through the door into the warmth of the kitchen, Casey and April ducked behind one of the long stainless-steel benches that ran through the middle of the room. The far end wall was dominated by huge walk-in ovens; the end closer to them featured a large sink and drying racks, full of commercial sized pots and pans and other utensils.

Peering from their hiding spot, they noticed a door was propped open, leading to the outside. The Valentino family were gathered at another bench close to the open door, surrounded by a large group of street thugs. Mr Valentino was being restrained by a few of the youths, his arm being held out on the counter.

April and Casey watched as the elderly man shook his head. A punk stood over him with a metal baseball bat smirked,   
"Wrong answer Pops." then whacked his victims' outstretched arm with his weapon. The 'clang' as the tip hit the bench echoed again. Whilst it was obvious the old man was in pain he barely uttered a sound. His wife was holding the end of her apron to her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs. Their son, in his early twenties, was struggling in vain against the trio that were holding and gagging him.

Creeping over to the racks of drying utensils, Casey quietly grabbed a long, heavy wooden rolling pin, handing it back to April. He took a large ladle and hefty looking metal spatula for himself. April started to fish her Shell-cell out of her pocket, about to call for back-up, when she decided not to bother; sure she spied the briefest flicker of movement beyond the door…

Raph had managed to relax again; Tau nestled snugly with her face against his neck. Her hands, still on his shoulders under his coat, had finally lost their chill. At the first 'bang', she had jumped, they all had really, and it had disrupted their embrace a little. At the second blow Leo, Don and Mike made their way over to the alcove to investigate.

With a groan Raph figured they had better make a move as well, reluctantly opening his coat to release Tau, Leo quick to motion them over. Realising what was happening inside the open door as the third blow was made Leo directed his team, getting them in position to strike. He was about to give the order to attack when he was pre-empted by a resounding "GOONGALA!" from the bakery.

In a heart-beat the turtles were through the door, the dozen punks taken by surprise and quickly overcome by the combined attacks from both parties. The last couple of thugs fell, one a-foul of Casey's spatula, the other being snapped backwards to the ground as Mikes' fist connected with his nose in concert with Tau dropping to sweep his feet forward from under him with an out-stretched leg.

Raph couldn't help but grin as her move caused the hem of her skirt to ride up above her knees for a moment; instinctively standing a little straighter as she rose to give him a quick, side-long glance up and down. Her appraisal ended with a flicker of a coy smile, her look quickly hidden behind a hand as she reached up to smooth her hair. Still it was enough to leave him a little fidgety, feeling as if he were suddenly unsure what to do with his hands. Shaking his head to clear it of the distraction he dragged the unconscious ring-leader up from the floor, grimacing at the arthropod depicted crawling up the guys' neck.   
"Damn Scorpion scum!" he growled, dropping the hoodlum back to the floor with little regard for the dull 'thud' his head made against the linoleum.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded the younger Valentino, the brave timber of his voice undermined by the way he was backing into his father, away from the group that had stormed in through the outer door. Taking stock with a quick glance around Leo was relieved to see none of his group had lost their disguises in the fray; though he did a quick side-step to come between Raph and the huddled Italian family, realising his brothers' coat wasn't fastened and at risk of falling open.   
"Uh, we're…" Leo searched for an explanation.   
"Friends of mine," April interjected "they were waiting outside for us. Oh, Mr Valentino, I think your arm is broken!" she exclaimed, moving over to inspect the limb and draw the attention of the family. Leo snagged Dons' arm before he too could approach to have a look for himself.   
"And I think we'd better get these punks out of here and be on our way." he 'suggested' to his kin.

Casey and Tau helped out as the turtles dragged the Scorpions out of the kitchen and tied them up a small distance away in the surrounding alleys. April stayed with the family, helping to calm them and keep them distracted whilst she wrapped Mr Valentino's arm in a sling to keep it stable on the way to the hospital.

As soon as the last of the goons were out of the kitchen, the Valentino's locked up and left, with many profuse thanks to April from Mrs Valentino. The rest of the group gathered in the shadows behind the red-head, as she waved the family fair-well until their car disappeared around a corner. Turning back to her friends with a relieved smile she cocked her head suddenly in thought.   
"Darn it!" she frowned "I forgot the cakes!"

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"So it's-a third left down that-a hallway, then first right, second left and then the second cubicle on the left? Si?"   
"Yep!" smiled the receptionist. With a grateful nod the elderly lady settled the cloth covered basket on her arm and followed the directions through the offices of 'Cubesoft Inc'. Reaching her destination she paused for a moment, unsure how to announce her presence since the cubicle didn't have a door to knock on. Finally she gave a nervous "Ahem." Immediately the red-head looked up from her computer screen in surprise.

"Mrs Valentino!" April exclaimed "What are you doing here? Come in, come in!"   
"Good morning Miss O'Neil. I realised that with all the fuss last-a night, I forgot to give you the cakes you were wanting to collect. So I-a brought them for you." Mrs Valentino offered April her basket with a smile.   
"Oh, thank-you!" grinned April "You didn't have to do that, I was going to drop by during my lunchbreak…"   
"It was the least I could do, to thank you for your help last-a night."   
"Oh, it was nothing… I'm just glad my friends were there to help out." "Si! Si, please tell them all we are very grateful. I included some nice, fresh chocolate muffins in there for you all… on-a-the-house."   
"Heh, I'm sure my friends will love those! Thank you! Are the police going to do anything to make sure you all stay safe?"

"Tch." the elderly lady muttered, her face becoming grave "We did not-a call. My Marcello, uh Mr Valentino, he does not like to involve police. We have some-a…'patrons' that took away the gangsters for us last-a night. Usually, we don't need to worry about such things, mostly. But these-a days, the young-ones, they are getting cheeky. No?" she smiled nervously.   
"Oh." replied April, momentarily lost for words. She was curious, but deciding she probably didn't really want to know any more details about their security arrangements she changed the subject instead, "How's Mr Valentino's arm by the way?" Mrs Valentino sighed, shaking her head slightly.   
"He has a cast for a few weeks. The doctor's, they tell him to rest. But my Marcello, he does not know how to do. Enrico, he's a good boy, but he is wanting his own life now. I worry; how we will keep the bakery going? My Marcello says not to worry, we've been through worse. And he's-a right, we have. But we are not so young anymore. The hard work, it takes it's-a toll on him. I'm-a trying to convince him to take on an apprentice, but he won't hear of it. 'The recipes, they are for family, for Enrico' he says, 'No-one else'."

"I'm sorry to hear that." April commiserated "If there's anything I can do to help…"   
"Oh no, no, no!" flustered the old lady "It is we that are indebted to you. If there's anything we can do for you or your friends, please, just-a ask." Mrs Valentino fidgeted nervously for a moment before she met Aprils' eyes again with an over-bright smile. "But I have distracted you from your work, si? I am-a sorry, I'll leave-a you in peace…"   
"It's no bother, really!" assured April, placing a gentle hand on the lady's arm to stop her turning away. "And I just had a thought… instead of an apprentice, would Mr Valentino accept a kitchen-hand to help you out? Even just for a couple of weeks until his arm has healed?"

Mrs Valentino tilted her head in thought.   
"Maybe…, we did try to take on one a couple of years ago, but the young people today, they don't know the meaning of work, and they want so much pay!"   
"Oh. It's just that the girl who helped out with the fight last night, she's looking for work. I'm sure she'd put a lot of effort in, and would probably be grateful for any money she could earn. But she has had a little…'difficulty' with one of the local gangs, so if you don't want to risk any more trouble I'll understand." April shrugged lightly.   
"The young girl with the black hair?" asked Mrs Valentino. April frowned slightly in confusion for a moment.   
"Oh! Yes, of course. Heh. She, uh, coloured her hair… the other day…" grinned April sheepishly.

"What kind of trouble is she in?" probed Mrs Valentino again.   
"Um, she's actually left a gang, but they weren't too happy about it." replied April, a little distractedly as she tried to think of an explanation that wouldn't give too much away.   
"And what's-a her name?"   
"Ta…" April caught herself just in-time, giving herself a mental kick for being so caught up with worry over how to explain things she almost gave it away anyway "Uh, _Na_tasha, yeah… sorry, we always call her by her nick-name…, heh." she petered out.   
"Well, it would be a big-a help. And it is the least we could do…giving her a chance." murmured Mrs Valentino thoughtfully, "Could she come-a by the bakery tomorrow? Say at one o'clock? It will be up to Marcello… but I'll put in the good word, si?"   
"Si. Uh, yes!" laughed April "I'm sure she'll be there. Thank-you!"   
"No, no, thank-a you!"

After a brief flurry of continued expressions of gratitude and good-byes the elderly lady departed, leaving April alone in her cubicle to wonder if her off-the-cuff idea to get Tau a job interview was really such a good one…


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I've had a glitch in my FFNet account, I suspect from the 25th November 2006, that meant I was not receiving reviews at all. So if you have sent a review, and haven't received a reply from me for it, I haven't gotten it! I think it's workin' again now. Many thanks to artykidd for helping me identify this problem and for persevering to send me through her reviews regardless of glitches, gremlins and a suspected Leo-lover conspiracy against Raph-centric fics!!! LOL! Thanks heaps chica! Three's my lucky number now! –grin-

Many thanks too to The REAL Cheese Monkey for the review I got that proved my account had been fixed! Heh, probably shouldn't have taken that sugar over-dose before replying to ya chica. Sorry if I was a bit weird(er)… than usual anyway, lol!

And ta muchly to CPQ for beta-reading this; you always help me figure out where the dialogue might need a bit of an explanation or not.

Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a Happy New Year! Just make sure it's a safe one! I actually got a copy of Sun Tzu: The Art of War (I've been hanging out to read the complete text of that for ages!) so, not too surprisingly, there's a couple of quotes from him at the end of this chapter. The first is my interpretation of an aspect of his philosophy, whereas the second is a direct quote from the translation I've got.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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"Are you sure you're sure about this?"   
"Yes!" assured Tau impatiently, nervously straightening the smart black jacket April had lent her to go over her grey, square-cut dress; though the seat belt running over her shoulder pulled the dark material out of alignment slightly again as they rounded a corner.   
"I just don't think it's a good idea, we'll save the money eventually; you don't need to do this! What if someone sees ya, huh? What if _they_ decide to turn you in? What if…"   
"'What if' you realise that I'm gonna do this no matter what you say Raph; or how many times you say it!" interrupted Tau, giving him a sharp glare "I promised you all I'd get a job if I could, and I'm not gonna go back on that. Besides, I _do_ wanna go home… hopefully _before_ I have to apply for a 'mature-aged student' placement at a university!" she grimaced as she slid a finger under her wig, trying not to displace it as she took this last opportunity to scratch the annoying spot on her nape the hair-piece always made itch, especially since she was having to wear it for the second day in a row.

Raph bared his own teeth in frustration, about to retort when Mikey trying to hide a giggle caught his attention. The scowl he gave his brother quickly became apoplectic as Mikey gave a flick of his hand that was curled as if holding the handle of something invisible, mouthing 'Whipish!'   
"YOU LITTLE…Graah!" Raph lunged, his seat-belt pulling him up just short of being able to reach Mike, though his brother still jerked back against his own swivel seat with enough impetus to send his hat tumbling off his head to land on the floor behind him.   
"Keep it down guys!" admonished Don, looking back from his spot in the front passengers' seat, "We're almost there."

Leo guided the Battle-shell down the alley and into one of the parking spots next to the loading bay. A second after the vehicle stopped all the turtles were on their feet, Leo to break-up the imminent scuffle, and Don making his way back to where Tau was seated taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, fingering the blue stone dolphin she wore on a thin leather necklace.   
"Do you want to test the alert again?" asked Don softly, completely ignoring the ruckus behind him. With a grateful nod and smile she felt for the small button affixed to the back of the smooth stone resting just below her throat; the sudden loud 'BEEP' that sounded in the van getting the attention of all.

"GAH! What was that?" demanded Raph, his coat continuing the movement of his quick turn, one sai ready in hand at the alarm.   
"GEES! Give a guy a heart-attack!" admonished Mike, hand to his chest.   
"If you'd been paying attention, instead of acting like a pair of fools, you'd have realised that Tau was about to test her panic button." stated Leo brusquely, continuing in a gentler tone "Good work Donnie." as his two errant brothers fidgeted sheepishly.

Don nodded, giving a wide smile to acknowledge the compliment,   
"It's not much, but it's the best I could come up with at such short notice." He turned back to the girl and gave her shoulder a light, encouraging clasp. "Well, you're pretty much ready to go. Just remember, we'll be right here waiting for you. If you get into any trouble, one touch of that button and we'll be there as fast as we can, ok?" he assured, getting a resolute nod from her in reply.

Standing, she quickly fussed about needlessly smoothing her dress and jacket again, glancing at the clock on the dash to see she was still had a few minutes to spare, then looked up at her friends with a brave half-smile.   
"Thanks guys. Time to go!" she declared, determination in her stride as she stepped out of the vans' back door. She had barely made it a couple of steps away from the vehicle when the sound of the rear door clicking shut a second time came as her only warning, an instant before a strong hand gripped the top of her arm, pulled her about and back along-side the truck.

"Raph! What do you think…?"   
"Shhh!" he silenced her harsh whisper with his own, gripping her other arm as well to draw her close. "Listen. I really don't like you doin' this. It's too dangerous. Don't give a shit about what Leo or anyone else might say, I c'n deal with 'em. But please, don't do this?" Her brave veneer dropped, her eyes suddenly so soft and sad they caused an ache in his chest. After searching his gaze for a moment, she dropped hers to timidly move her face closer, making him catch his breath. He almost expected her to kiss him, but she opted for tenderly nuzzling his cheek with hers, bringing her own hands up to rest on the thick material of his coat over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Raph. I have to at least try..." she murmured by his ear, running her hands down his arms to free herself from his hold. She didn't use any force at all and, despite not wanting too, he felt compelled to follow her silent, gentle directive. She held his hands as she pulled back slightly to try to look him in the eye again, though he seemed fascinated with something beyond her shoulder.   
"Wish me luck?" asked Tau softly.   
"Luck." he grumped, still staring at the alley wall. She gave him a grateful smile regardless then turned to walk down the alleyway towards the front of the building.

He watched her leave, feeling too numb to move until she disappeared from sight. Then, leaning back against the Battle-shell, he thumped the back of his head lightly against the metal muttering;   
"Stupid stubborn fool…"   
"Uh-huh." he jumped at the sound of his brothers' deadpan remark, glaring over to see him leaning out the driver side window.   
"Damn it Mikey!" growled Raph "I meant… her!" he scrabbled to cover himself.   
"Uh-huh" nodded his brother again, the slightest hint of irony in his tone. Raph favoured him with a dark scowl in reply, turning his back on Mike to stalk to the rear of the van. There he issued another glower for Leo stood propping the back door open,   
"This isn't necessarily a bad thing Raph. You have to accept she _is_ going to leave, sooner or later, and…" Deciding he really didn't want the company of his brothers at the moment, Raph opted for stalking away to patrol the alley instead.

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"Hmm. I still don't-a know. I'm not sure we'd have enough work for you, if-a you can't serve on the front counter…" Mr Valentino rubbed his smooth chin with his un-bound hand, his arm set in a cast resting on the counter in front of him. Tausha shifted nervously under the old mans' scrutiny. At first he had seemed dismissive of her. But now, after half an hour of questioning her relentlessly, he had developed what she feared was a suspicious gleam to his eye.

Mrs Valentino was seated next to her husband on the far side of the metal bench, and was starting to look a little uneasy, but suddenly smiled to herself and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. He cocked his head in thought for a moment.   
"Can you-a sing?" he asked. Taken aback by the unexpected question, Tau flustered;   
"Uh, yeah, sorta. I…I haven't had any training in it or anything…"   
"Sing for us then." he ordered, leaning back on his stool and running his hand through his black hair, peppered with grey and flour.   
"Uh…" Tau dithered, trying to think of a tune.   
"'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'. Come on now!" urged Mr Valentino abruptly.

After a nervous gulp Tau started singing the carol, slowly getting into the swing of it as she went. Even so her heart fell as the couple opposite grimaced at her less-than-stellar performance.   
"She could still-a do spoken word, poetry." suggested Mrs Valentino optimistically to her husband. He finally nodded once in agreement, leaning forward to address Tausha again.   
"It's a service we used to offer…"   
"Enrico used to do, before he-a got too busy." interjected Mrs Valentino, beaming proudly at the mention of her son; Mr Valentino only nodded once in acknowledgement whilst giving his wife a slightly darkened look for her un-required input before he continued his explanation.   
"…delivering cakes and the like. For those willing to pay a little more Enrico would deliver a message with-a the goods; sing…"   
"He has such a beautiful voice…" put in Mrs Valentino wistfully, her husband sighed wearily.   
"…or speak, whatever the patron wanted. You cannot-a sing. But your legs work just fine, si? You would be willing to do too?"

"Uh, well, I wouldn't say 'no', but for the risk of someone recognising me. Like I said, I'd rather lay low, if I could… and I wouldn't want to cause trouble for you if one of my old gang decided to stir it up if they spotted me. You know, steal what I was delivering… or something…" she tried a sheepish smile. To her surprise Mr Valentino simply gave a knowing grin and turned to his wife.   
"Why don't you fetch it out, see if it-a fits her?" he asked nonchalantly. Nodding enthusiastically Mrs Valentino practically leapt off her stool.   
"Si! Si, I'll be right-a back!" she assured, dashing off to a second door set near to the one leading to the loading bay. The 'inset' wall seemed to continue past the end of the external alcove, and Tau soon realised why as the older lady used a key to open the second door and practically raced up the stairwell behind it.

"She will be a while." predicted Mr Valentino with confidence "Which is-a good. I want to see what you can-a do with the dishes." he indicated to the massive pile of dirty trays, pans and such that towered over the sink at the end of the kitchen. Tau was sure every utensil they owned was stacked there. Biting back on a sigh and plastering a determined smile on her face instead she rose, fiddling with her jacket for a brief moment in indecision. She didn't want to get Aprils' coat wet, but taking it off…

In the end she removed the garment to leave it neatly on a clean section of bench, since she'd already told them which gang she'd had her trouble with. It was hard enough having to remember her name was different, so she'd decided not to make things any more complicated for herself. Besides, if she'd lied, they'd catch her out as soon as they saw her tattoo anyway. And chances were it'd show sooner or later, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. However, she hadn't anticipated it would be so soon.

To Taushas' relief Mr Valentino didn't so much as a bat an eye-lid at the image, following her over to the sink to stand cross-armed behind her as she set-to scouring the dishes with gusto, no regard for how the suds dampened the front of her dress slightly. He watched her work for a couple of minutes in silence.   
"Your Father, he is a smart man, taught you the value of hard work, si?" Tau started at the mention of her Dad, but figuring Mr Valentino was just making conversation she nodded hesitantly.   
"Yeah, though my Grandad helped a lot too. I've spent a lot of time scrubbing his stables and tack over the years." she grinned.

"Your Father, he teach-a you good business sense as well?"   
"Um…" she stalled nervously for a moment, grabbing another dirty pot.   
"When we first came to America, the Purple Dragons were just starting out here too. Every business in this-a neighbourhood, they beat-down for 'protection' money. But not-a me, I refused. It was a hard time for us. Hun, he is a hard man, give me this for my trouble." he pointed out an old, wide burn scar on the side of his neck. Tau grimaced slightly; partly in sympathy, partly in worry about where this conversation was headed.   
"But in the end he-a come to respect me, that I would not give-in no matter what he threatened. He realised; I know, he did not want-a to destroy us completely. He had a good liking for my muffins and breads." the old man smiled proudly at that. "So we work out a deal we could all live with, his gang leaves us alone, and anyone with a tattoo like-a that…" he pointed at the dragon on her shoulder "gets a discount here. Not much, mind you, never more than ten percent, if that. But I don't give discount to anyone else. Especially not these new hooligans, they have-a no sense what-so-ever. They couldn't and think they could get away with working-over _these_ streets for long. Hun was not-a happy to hear of that at all!"

Unsure what to say Tau gave a sickly grin, murmuring;   
"Oh, I'm glad you worked it out with them…"   
"With-a _him_. I am-a not blind, I can see who you are. But I'm wondering now if you have as much business sense as your Father?" Slowly Tau turned away from the sink to face him, her hand resting nervously on the dolphin at her throat, she petitioned as calmly as she could;   
"I know you could get a lot of money for turning me in to him. But, please, just let me walk away…"   
"Pfft, the money?" he scoffed, to her surprise "It would be-a nice, very nice, but I've known Hun for more than 20 years. I'd think he's only using the reward as-a bait to find those helping to keep you hidden from him. He would not give away so much if he saw a way out of it; probably a way that's-a not so good or healthy for me and my family! And having his-a daughter scrub my dishes? That's-a very nice too! So, here's the deal. You work for me, consider it re-payment for all the money he's-a cost me over the years, and I don't turn-a you over to him, _if_ you keep doing a good job."

Tau took a moment to contemplate, dredging up the courage to say;   
"I won't work for free…"   
"No, no, of course not; I'll give you four dollars an hour, cash at the end of the week. I don't want you here in the mornings; I don't want you spying on my recipes. So, one to six o'clock everyday we're-a open; do the cleaning up, deliveries and any other odd jobs I have for you. If you don't work, I don't pay you. No holidays, sick-leave, nothing. Deal?"   
"Um… make it four dollars fifty, and we'll have a deal." Tau negotiated hesitantly, jumping as Mr Valentino gave a hearty laugh.   
"Ho! You _are_ your Fathers' daughter. Four twenty five, I won't pay any more than that." he countered, grinning at her expectantly.

Figuring a low paying job was better than none at all, Tau nodded, saying;   
"Then we have a deal, but I don't understand how I can deliver…" Mrs Valentino bustling back into the kitchen answered her question as she held up floppy grey costume with over-sized feet and gloves sewn to it. A large, rabbit-head held proudly aloft in her other hand - featuring a big, shiny red heart on its collar with 'Valentino's' written across it in a flowing black script - completed the get-up. Mr Valentino simply grinned even wider as Tau glanced at him to get confirmation of her fear…

Tau let her face fall in despair, not bothering to hide it anymore since the rabbit-mask hid her expression. Its mouth and eyes were made of a painted mesh, allowing her to breathe (sort of), speak and see. Still it seemed to get warm inside of it pretty quickly and the bulk of it, plus the ears sticking out of the top, made it difficult to balance the head-piece easily; especially with the over-sized gloves on her hands being of little help. The body of the suit hung very loose on her small frame, but Mrs Valentino was busy moving around her, mumbling to herself about how best to take in the material past a mouthful of dress-pins.

"We're not-a open on Sundays, so you good to start on-a Monday?" asked Mr Valentino, leaning over his crouching wife to peer into eyes of the mask, his smug grin still firmly in place. With a sigh Tausha agreed with a slow nod, quickly having to steady the rabbit-head again at her movement. _This_ was going to take a bit of getting used to…

---------- ----------

It had been a tough week, but Tau felt proud of herself as she looked down at the small envelope in her hands; the edges of the few coins within beside the notes making indentations on the thin paper. All things considered, her job had worked out quite well. She still got to join-in with the morning training sessions with the turtles, and although he worked her hard, she'd found her employment with Mr Valentino wasn't quite as bad as she'd first feared.

She'd spent most of her time in the bakery scrubbing dishes, cleaning floors and scouring ovens. Once he'd set her to a task Mr Valentino left her pretty much to her own devices, without any gloating or needless nit-picking. It seemed he was satisfied with just having her do his menial jobs without wanting to rub it in, which Tau was grateful for.

Leo had seized her job as an opportunity for he and his brothers to get some extra training in, namely in surveillance and staying disguised on the surface during daylight. At least two of the brothers dropped her off in the loading bay before utilising the hours to their advantage so before picking her up again; Raph and Leo invariably among them.

The only time Tau had seen them at all during her work was the one time she'd made a delivery, luckily just a quick drop-off to a local office without any need for a performance. Enrico had driven her there, cursing the red motorbike that had blatantly cut in front of his Lancer at the start of their journey before it raced away between the lines of traffic regardless. Even so, a couple of minutes later, only Tau spotted the same bike lane-hopping a few cars behind them again in the side-mirror.

If it hadn't been for that she would have used the alarm button on her necklace the next day when she realised the Battle-shell was no-where in sight as she took some rubbish out to the dumpsters in the alleyway, an unfamiliar bird call echoing between the walls putting her on edge and making her rush back into the kitchen.

Somehow she had managed to stop herself from panicking for the last half-hour she had to work, relieved to find the van back in the loading bay when she'd finished for the day. However, she was thankful for the way Raph had warmly returned her hug, only breaking their embrace to give Mike a smack up-side the head as he teased her with his imitation of a Blue Jay again.

Now, she had survived her first week, gotten her first payment, and was desperately looking forward to having an afternoon off to relax the next day. There was just one more thing she had to do before dinner and spending the rest of this evening lazing on the couch watching B-grade horror movies with the guys.

"Come in." came the soft reply to her knocking. A little nervously she slid back the screen door, bowing as she closed it behind her. Splinter was seated on his meditation cushion and he invited her to take a seat in front of him with a sweep of his paw and a warm smile. Quickly Tau made her way over to kneel where he'd indicated.

"You do not trust yourself to save this money?" he asked gently, a note of concern in his voice as she settled, fidgeting uneasily with the envelope in her hands.   
"It's not that… really. I'd just feel better if… you kept it." she explained hesitantly.   
"Why?"   
"I don't know… out of sight, out of mind?" she chewed her lip for a moment then continued in a rush "And you have it handy if you need it."

Splinters' brow furrowed slightly.   
"This is your money Tausha. You have earned it and it is for an important cause. Neither I nor my sons have any right to it." he asserted firmly, benignly.   
"I understand." she nodded quickly, "But I want to do something to repay you all for everything you've helped me with…" She was stopped by an upraised paw, the Sensei taking a moment to appraise her with shrewd eyes.

"I have said to you before that money is not our motivation. I do not expect any payment in return for your staying with us. Why, then, do you insist on it?"   
"Um… because I do feel I owe you board. And I've done a bit of planning this week; if I can continue to work without too many interruptions I should be able to save around two grand by March, which is plenty for the plane ticket and even leaves a bit extra to help me get settled back home again. But…, I'd like to stay until May, if you're happy to let me, and anything I earn over and above the two grand in that time, I want you to have."

Silence descended for a minute as Splinter considered her proposal, slowly stroking the small tuft of fur under his chin.   
"Why May?" he queried.   
"As a bit of a contingency if I do need to work longer… and I've missed too much school to just slot back into high-school, so I'll have to enrol in a college to get my secondary certificate. There's a few in Melbourne that do it, but enrolments for the start of next year have closed already, not that I'd be able to get over there for the start of term anyway. So the earliest I could get in is the mid-year intake starting in July. John, my kendo-sensei, is happy for me to stay with his family, but if I can stay here a little longer it'll mean less strain on them, and heading over in May still gives me a month or so to get myself sorted out before I start school again."

"You cannot stay on your Grandfathers' property, surely that belongs to you now?" persisted Splinter, his tone still gentle. Tau dropped her gaze to the floor before answering.   
"It does." she sighed, "When I left I thought I'd be gone for years, if not for good. I didn't know things would go so badly living with my Dad. So I made a deal with our neighbour; Mr Reynolds. He got full use of our… my property in return for up-keeping it." She gave a sad laugh, "It's funny really 'cos my solicitor wanted me to sell it, rather than 'give it away' as he put it. But Dad put him in his place for me. Anyway, Mr Reynolds has leased the house out, and the tenants still have almost a year left on the contract. When I emailed him a couple of days ago he did say he'd be willing to break the lease, but it might take a while and could end-up causing a bit of a mess for him, and I don't want to do that. Besides Dad's probably got tabs on the place anyway."

Again Splinter took a long moment to contemplate before he caught her eye with a firm, discerning look.   
"It would seem you have given this much thought. However, I can't help but wonder why you have changed your mind from wanting to leave as soon as possible to delaying your departure. You have reasons for the change of heart, but none that cannot be over-come. It is also clear you will be taking a risk your Father will be able to trace you if you return to your home-land, perhaps more so than if you remain here. Are you still so committed to leaving then?"

"Yes, definitely. It's…, something I have to do." stated Tau, shrugging slightly as Splinter quirked a grey brow in curiosity. "I know it's stupid in a way, and my own fault. When my folks died Dad came over as soon as he heard. It was really good of him actually, and he was there for me to help sort out everything and for the funeral. But I knew he needed to get back to his own business." She shook her head sadly, "After the funeral he even asked me if I wanted some time alone… with them. I was an idiot and said 'no' and we flew out the next day. I… now I just need to… I don't know, say 'goodbye' to them in private I guess. Besides I owe it to Mum to get a good education."   
"Grief and circumstance are neither 'stupid' nor a 'fault'." he asserted firmly. "Did your Mother ask that you strive so to continue your learning?"   
"No." admitted Tau after knuckling her eye, "But I know I cost her hers. And she and Grandad worked so hard to put me through school and everything…, I can't let them down now." her voice broke as she studied the ground again.

She sniffled slightly, breaking the quiet, and then started as Splinter took her hand gently in his paws, patting it consolingly a couple of times before resting his paw over it.   
"I know, very well, that the past can dictate your future, but you cannot allow it to overwhelm you. I am sure your family are, and will be proud of you, regardless of how you achieve happiness in your life. Joy comes only from walking your own path. Just be sure it is _your_ path you are making these sacrifices for. If it is then I wish you every success and will offer any help I can. Neither I, nor your family, would wish to see you burdened with regret." he assured solemnly.

Tau gave a slight nod and another snuffle.   
"Thank-you. It is my path, I know it is. It's pretty much the same goal I've had since I first came over here and this whole mess started… Not that I regret meeting you or your family at all! I just… didn't plan on it. And as well as promising… myself I'd do this, I did make a promise to Leo, all of you, too." she murmured, regaining her composure.   
"Hmmm, yes, Leonardo." the sage rat smiled ruefully. "I hold hope that this experience will teach my son some valuable lessons as well. Most, he knows already, but he needs to learn to apply them outside of a logistical setting. One lesson you would be wise to heed as well is 'every plan benefits from being adaptable'."

"Is that from some ancient Japanese philosopher?" she asked, with a small half-smile. Splinter released her hand and sat straight on his cushion again with a benevolent smile.   
"Chinese, I believe; Sun Tzu." Tau frowned a little in confusion.   
"Didn't he write books on war?" she questioned, wondering about the relevance of the quote.   
"Hai. And his central philosophy was; 'the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'." He contemplated that for a moment, from the puzzled look on Taus' face she was too. "Hmmm, perhaps that is a lesson many of us could benefit from revisiting. I think I will make that the focus of our meditation tomorrow." he mused to himself with a wry smile.

Despite her giving a slow nod after a minute, the bafflement didn't leave her eyes as she spoke,   
"So… are you happy to look after this for me?" she asked tentatively, offering him the envelope. Splinter took it gently in both hands, holding it on his lap for a moment.   
"You do not wish to keep a small amount for yourself?"   
"No, I still have a little money in my room from before. I'll use that if I need too." she assured. With a nod of understanding Splinter turned, lifting a plate-like candle holder on the chest behind him to slip the envelope beneath it.   
"It will be safe with me." he promised, bowing from his waist. Returning the gesture, along with a smile of relief, Tau stood and left the Sensei to his meditation… or tried to, at least. Mike yelling "Grub's up!" from the dining table at the top of his lungs as she opened the sliding door shattered the peace.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the long delay with this chapter, t'was a bit of a struggle this one! Bit o' good news though, in the time it has taken me to get this chapter polished to the point I'm happy to post it, I've gotten the next three chapter written in full! Darn thing is on a roll now, especially since I think there are only another couple of chapters in it to write, and I've made a conscious effort to make each chapter after this one a bit shorter to make 'em easier to read. So, long story short, updates for this series should be fairly regular for a good little while to come! (touchwood, lol!)

I should warn ya that there is a bit o' swearin' in this Chapter, and a few Aussie and English references too. If you find yourself wondering just what a 'duffle coat' or a 'golden wattle' etc actually is, I'll post links with some info on 'em in the TT Series Background Thread I have going at SS. To reach my forum at SS, just click on the 'homepage' link on my profile page here at FFNet.

Many thanks to Artykidd, 'Anonymous' (though I'm thinkin' I know who ya are -grin-) and virtual wenrog for the reviews since I posted my last chapter; I always love getting your feedback!

And a big virtual bunch of roses each to CPQ and Artykidd for beta-reading this chapter, 'tis hugely appreciated chicas!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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"Gees, hurry up you guys!" urged Raph, giving the empty section of couch beside him a brief pat. "Case said they were only a few minutes away!" Leo and Don shared a commiserate look as they made their way over after jumping down from the second level, Leo still drying his hands with a small towel.   
"Well, if you and Mike hadn't deserted, leaving us to finish all the cleaning up in the bathroom…" he accused as he and Don sat heavily on the couch.   
"We wouldn't have got dinner done on-time." Raph finished for him.   
"Obviously…" muttered Don sardonically under his breath, eying the way his brother was sitting laid back, hands cupped behind his head, with his feet up on the coffee table.

"_Welcome to the Channel Six News Bulletin for this Thursday, the second of December. In tonight's headlines; the NYPD are urging citizens to use extra caution on the streets in the lead-up to Christmas, in light of the recent escalation in gang-related violence. The Mayor is down-playing criticism that he has done little to avert the hostilities between rival gangs…_"

"Ahem." Seated in his usual armchair to watch the early evening news broadcasts, Splinter quietly got his sons' attention and looked over toward the elevator doors. All three followed suite out of curiosity, to see the doors hiss open a moment later. Quick-as-a-flash Leo hid his cloth in the cushions behind him and sat up straighter, trying to look as if he weren't hiding anything.

"Hey guys!" called April enthusiastically as she stepped into the Lair, each hand carrying a plastic bag. Walking in beside her friend, Tau grinned and gave a little wave with her one free hand. Looking utterly exhausted, Casey trudged along behind, barely able to peer over the mound of shopping in his arms before he dumped the whole load unceremoniously on the coffee table. Raph still shot his friend a glare despite managing to move his feet out of harms' way… just.

"Hey fellas, wha'sup?" asked Casey as he straightened, ignoring Raphs' dark look and wondering why Leo and Don were sharing a smug smile.   
"Dinner almost!" admonished Mike as he made his way over from the kitchen. "Whoa! What a load! So what _didn't_ you guys get, huh? This isn't _all_ for Tau, is it?"   
"Heh, no!" assured Tau, pulling off her black wig with relief and shaking out her own hair. She ran her fingers through her loose tresses briefly before hunting in her pockets for a band to tie them back with. Out of luck she shrugged lightly, leaving her hair to fall free as she joined April in sorting out their bounty. A wily little half-smile chased the scowl off of Raphs' face; he surreptitiously felt for the little hidden compartment on his belt that was now almost full of small loops of elastic.

"There was a sale on." April continued the explanation "So we took the opportunity to pick up some cheap supplies too." she beamed, pulling large five-litre pump bottles out of a couple of bags to put them on the table in front of Splinter, two were shades of cream and two shades of green.   
"Domo… Thank-you April-chan." bowed Splinter from his seat "I have been running low on such supplies. I must admit however, I favour the Jasmine scented shampoo…"   
"I know; the Apple's for Tau." April smiled as she finished adding to a small pile of bags on the far end of the coffee table, placing the majority out of the way on the floor for now.   
"Do you really need so much?" asked Leo, glancing between the large bottles and Tau, he could understand why Splinter needed it… but she didn't have half as much hair as his father.

Tau gave him a grin.  
"Yep. It's not like this stuff goes off or anything. And it's cheap, effective and comes in bulk!" the girls shared a knowing smile as Casey rolled his eyes behind them. "And believe me," she continued, reaching over to grab the bottles despite the small plastic bag she still held "you _don't_ want to know me on a bad hair day! I'll just take these upstairs…"   
"NO!" she started in surprise at Mikes' yell, turning back quickly as she felt Splinters' paws on her hands guiding her to put the bottles back down.   
"Why don't you show us what you brought for yourself first?" the Sensei suggested with a warm smile.   
"Uh…, ok." Tau agreed uncertainly, wondering what was going on.

"Here you go." encouraged April, handing the girl one of the bags from those left on the table. Putting her confusion out of her mind Tau extracted a thick jacket to show-off to her friends.   
"I shouldn't feel the cold top-side anymore with this!" she grinned, slipping on the dark blue duffle coat. Next there came a couple of plain, long-sleeved t-shirts, both grey, and a large packet of hair-ties. Tau wondered why Raph had scowled at that point, but didn't get a chance to dwell on it as Mike snatched up the small, black plastic bag she'd carried in herself. She hadn't put it on the table, leaving it on the floor by her feet instead when she'd pulled on her new jacket.

"Hey!" she lunged to grab it back, Mike easily keeping it out of her reach.   
"So, did ya get anything interesting? Like a _real_ birthday present? Huh?" he taunted as she failed to catch the bag again.   
"No. Give me that!" she ground out in a dark tone; Mike quirked a curious eye-ridge at her before quickly turning away to look in the bag for himself.   
"GAH! Mike, that's private!" she yelled, managing to reach around him to snatch the bag closed before he got to see anything more than a glimpse of something crimson.   
"Aww, but you gotta show… OW!" Mike cried as he turned back, getting a sharp cuff up-side his head from his brother; he hadn't noticed Raph get to his feet.

"No, I don't." stated Tau emphatically, clutching the bag protectively to her chest as she turned her back on him, nose in the air.   
"Yeah!" agreed Raph, glaring at his brother and poking a finger at him to make his point "She doesn't _have_ to show _you_ anything,…" his voice softened as he turned to the girl "but you c'n show me, right?" he grinned cajolingly.   
"Uh, no. It's, uh, none of your business…" she flustered, grasping the bag even tighter. Splinter stood to interrupt the proceedings.   
"My sons, perhaps the greatest gift we can give Tausha is a little something to keep to her self. Hmmm?" Begrudgingly the two turtles nodded in acquiescence as Tau gave the Sensei a grateful smile, tucking the bag into one of the inside pockets in her jacket for safe-keeping.

The incident seemed to be forgotten instantly as the door to the tunnels opening caught everyone's attention.   
"Finally!" grinned Mike in greeting as the Professor and Leatherhead entered. Leo shot his cheeky brother a small reprimanding frown as he led the way over to their friends.   
"Our apologies for being so late." offered Honeycutt, after everyone else had welcomed them. "I'm afraid we almost ran into some maintenance workers and had to take quite a detour to avoid them."   
"Where were they…?" Leo started to interrogate the newcomers, Mike ignoring him to bounce happily a couple of times.   
"Now we're all here we can eat!" he declared, as the group started to move away from the door.

Don gave his exuberant brother a sceptical look,   
"'We're _all_ here'? What about Angel, isn't she coming?"   
"Uhhhh…" Despite Mike's sudden dithering it was Casey who answered with a shrug,   
"I did ask 'er, she said she was busy doin' somethin' else tonight."   
"Hmm, that's odd. She's never turned down an invite from us before…" pondered Don, rubbing his chin. Mike gave an uncertain laugh and an over-bright grin to assure his brother;   
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about Donnie… Hey, April, let us do that!"

Tau hung back a little as Mike and Don rushed over to help April lug the rest of the shopping into the kitchen, Casey tagging along behind them. Leo was still engrossed in his conversation with Leatherhead and Honeycutt as he led them to the dining table, the places already set complete with plates. Splinter was walking over to gather his bathroom supplies off of the coffee table when one of his ears flickered, turning back towards Raphael as his son stopped to ask Tau if she were alright. Raph was concerned about an odd look that had come over her face at Mike's earlier declaration.

"Yeah… I'm fine." she assured him quietly, not meeting his eyes. He wasn't convinced.   
"C'mon, I know you better'n that. What's wrong?" he questioned; his tone a little short. She started to shake her head, but seeing him cross his arms with a determined scowl she thought better of it.   
"It's nothing, really. I just… When Mike said 'all here'… It's my first birthday without…any family." she sighed, inspecting the ground. Feeling he should say something to console her, but not sure what, he cupped her chin gently to raise her face, waiting until she looked up to give her a crooked half-smile.   
"Hey." he murmured. Tau attempted a brave smile of her own before she stepped close to run her hands up his arms to his shoulders. The hand he'd held her face with he shifted to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair. He felt a warm tear drip onto his skin as he gently pulled her head against his shoulder.   
"Sorry." she whimpered.   
"It's ok." he assured softly, wrapping his other arm loosely about her waist.

"Soooo, April, what _did_ Tau get, huh?" probed Mike as he put away some of the supplies she had brought.   
"In all honesty Mike, I don't know." she shrugged, passing him the goods to go in the kitchen pantry "I tried all afternoon to get her to buy something nice and fun, another dress or something, but she was so stubborn about not 'wasting' money on anything she thought she didn't need. In the end I gave her thirty bucks and marched her into a, um, 'ladies boutique' and told her she wasn't allowed out until the money was gone!"

April shook her head with a laugh. "I did feel a bit rotten doing that, but the look on her face _was_ priceless, and I was at a loss at how else to get her to buy something…'impractical'. We waited outside for almost twenty minutes before she came out again, and she absolutely refused to show us what she'd gotten either! Actually, my guess is it's just a pair of underpants, or something basic, and she's kept the rest of the money for her savings. I've never known anyone to worry so much about having a day off of work, it's not like they didn't give her permission to! In the end it doesn't really matter what she bought; I just wanted her to get something out of the ordinary for her birthday... What?" she asked a little defensively as she noticed the huge, cheeky grin on Mikes' face.

"Oh, it's just, ah…nothing." he flustered, failing to wipe his face clear of the expression despite figuring it might better if he didn't share the extra clue he'd spotted. Deciding a change of subject was in order he hurriedly glanced about, finding the solution in his hand. "Holy moly April! This is salmon, the _good_ stuff! You didn't have to get us this!" he exclaimed, pointing at the tin.   
"Oh, it wasn't a problem Mike. Like I said, there was a sale on; this stuff was almost as cheap as the brand you usually get." she assured.

"'Almost as cheap' huh?" quoted Don, catching the end of their conversation as he approached, leaving Casey to finish storing supplies in the fridge. "You're too good to us April." he smiled warmly in gratitude. She returned the smile with a chuckle,   
"No I'm not! You boys are…"   
"_Hungry_!" interrupted Mike, closing the pantry door and pulling back a cloth from where it was draped over open rolls already piled with salad on the bench-top. "Time to serve out! We can't just leave this lot to stay warm in the oven; the fries'll turn to charcoal! Get everyone to the table will ya Donnie?" With a resigned sigh Don wandered out of the kitchen to comply with his brothers' request, quickly followed by his two friends as Mike 'shooed' them out as well.

Tau had only dared to leave her head on Raphs' shoulder for a minute. By the time Don was calling everyone to dinner they were stood a step apart again, as she managed a real smile once more. Feeling a little warm she slipped off her jacket, leaving it over the back of the couch as she and Raph made their way past it to join the others.

As soon as everyone was seated, squeezed in around the table on the collection of mis-matched dinning chairs, Mike started bringing out the food he'd prepared. First, a couple of large serving bowls; one full of coleslaw, the other French-fries, and then a platter of big, ready-made burgers.

Noisily everyone set about serving themselves, Casey not bothering to grab anything else before he took a bite out of his bun. His happy munching slowed as his brow furrowed in confusion. Cautiously opening his roll, as he forced himself to down the first bite, he pulled a grimace at its contents.   
"What the hell? Why've ya put a slice o' beetroot in here… _and_ a fried egg?" he scowled at Mike as he set about dismantling his meal, plonking the offending items on his plate in disgust.   
"'Cos they're 'Aussie' burgers lame-brain!" Mike explained with a laugh as Casey reassembled his sandwich, to his liking.   
"Yeah? Well 'Aussies' are damn weird, if you ask me!" shot back Casey, taking a large bite of his altered meal to underscore his point.

Tau chuckled at the exchange, swallowing before treating Mike to a huge, grateful grin.   
"And they do taste almost like they've come from 'Hungry Jacks', Mike! Even the sauce is…similar. Thank-you!"   
"Aww, its nothin'!" he assured as she leaned over in her chair to give him a brief clasp around the shoulders with one arm, "I just added a little powdered sugar to the ketchup for ya."

Casey grunted dismissively, re-considering the egg on his plate before he picked it up and ate it in one bite.   
"They're alright I guess, but I'd rather a 'Whopper' from 'Burger King' any day." he grumbled, glancing around the table with a confused look for the few sniggers his comment earned him. "What?" he demanded. Don managed to answer first, despite his mirth,   
"'Hungry Jacks' is what they call 'Burger King' in Australia, Casey. They're the same thing!"   
"Huh? You're kidding?" he shook his head in disbelief, continuing his mutterings to his plate as he started dissecting a second burger. With a roll of her eyes Tau decided to fight fire with fire.   
"_This_ from a guy who's country _invented_ the 'peanut butter and jelly' sandwich! Now _that's_ weird!"

The rest of the meal passed with a light-hearted (for the most-part) discussion on cultural differences; Mike clearing his throat to gain the attention of all as everyone finished. Raising his plastic cup of cola he proposed with a grin,   
"A toast? To Tau; Happy Birthday, babe. You might not be sixteen anymore, but ya still sweet ta us!" She blushed slightly as the rest of the group joined the toast.

Putting down her glass, April turned to fish something out of her handbag, hung over the back of her chair.   
"Here, I thought I'd save this for your party." she smiled, offering a small package to the girl. Tau took the parcel, giving her thanks and taking a moment to read the return address on the back before giving a massive grin and tearing into the padded envelope to reveal two CDs.   
"They're from the guys back home! Oh man, have I missed listening to this stuff!" she exclaimed, turning the cases for Raph to have a better look as he leaned over to see.

As Tau got distracted discussing the music with Raph, the table was quickly cleared by his brothers; Mike re-emerging from the kitchen to proudly place a large, round cake in the centre of the table. It was a little lop-sided, the stiff meringue on its sides cracked in places, but not enough to dislodge the cream and slices of fruit on the top of it. Still, Tau gaped at it in awe.   
"Oh Mike! You shouldn't have! Is that… Is that what I think it is?"   
"Yep! It sounded so good when you described it to me, how could I pass up an opportunity like this to try making a Pavlova? Does it look alright to you?" he asked, a little anxiously.   
"It looks absolutely perfect!" she assured in all seriousness before she stood suddenly to give him brief hug in gratitude.

Taking their seats again, Mike shifted nervously under the scowl his brother shot his way behind Taus' back. It seemed he was soon forgiven though, as they all enjoyed the gooey treat; especially since Tau chose to lean against Raphs' shoulder as she slumped in rapture over the taste.   
"I must confess, Australian traditions always seem to have a way of incorporating fruit, which I do appreciate." smiled Splinter, attempting to wipe the tacky, soft meringue from inside the cake off his whiskers.   
"It is times like this I do miss being able to ingest foodstuffs." the Professor lamented slightly, taking another 'sip' of his oil.   
"It is a shame, my friend." nodded Leatherhead briefly before tossing the second half of his slice into his mouth, his jaws and tongue working noisily as the sticky treat clung to them.

Relaxing back in her chair, sated and happy, Tau gave Honeycutt a brief consolatory smile, before widening her grin as she addressed the group.   
"Thank-you, everyone, for giving me such a wonderful birthday..."   
"It's not over yet…" interrupted Don, rising from the table "we have something else to show you too!"   
"Wha…? No, you guys have done plenty enough for me…" Tau tried to argue as Raph pulled her to her feet, the rest of the group following suite.

Don led the way across the lair, up the stairs and into the second alcove, explaining;   
"Well, I suppose technically this isn't a gift for you, it's kinda for April and Casey and anyone else who might end up staying with us too. It's a project we've been meaning to complete for quite a while, since before you came to stay with us in fact. But, I think you'll appreciate it anyway." With a grin he opened the bathroom door, Tau already smiling herself in anticipation.

As she'd guessed, the bathroom that had been in a state of renovation up until now was finally completed; even the clothes washer and dryer were whole and set neatly against the far wall. But the main thing she was hoping was now functional still had its curtain drawn, blocking her view. Mike leapt to the fore, hand ready on the material as he waited for everyone to file into the room, before he dramatically revealed their masterpiece.

"Oh my." whispered April.   
"So? What d'ya think?" Mike prompted Tau for a response.   
"It's… It's beautiful!" she stammered at the image that had been wrought in the mosaic lining the shower cubicle walls; a branch featuring fluffy balls of yellow set amid dark green leaves dominated, on a cream background.   
"What is it?" asked Casey and Leatherhead in unison.   
"A 'Golden Wattle'!" explained Mike, beaming with pride. Don gave the two girls a sheepish smile,   
"Originally we were going to do yellow roses. I know they're your favourite April…"   
"But its damn hard finding enough tiles in different shades of yellow that work well together!" interrupted Mike, in a rush "So in the end we decided to go with something a bit simpler. And since Raph was _no_ help what-so-ever, Donnie looked up the national flower for Australia and we went with that. Besides, April will always be with us. At least this way we have a reminder for when you go…" his excitement dissipated a little as he petered out into a slightly awkward quiet.

"So really it's for everyone that comes to stay with us." Leo picked up where Mike had left off, after a moment. "It should make for a much more pleasant experience than the last time you lived here, April. You'd have a chance for a bit of privacy and room to yourself, at least."   
"Oh, this is so sweet of you guys!" smiled April "But I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of it, you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."   
"It's no trouble at all!" Mike found his grin back "Even if you never live with us again, you an' Case still spend the night every now an' then. It'll get plenty of use, I'm sure! Now all we need to do is set-up a spare bedroom…"   
"We already have a 'spare bedroom', Mikey." Leo reminded him, with a slight frown.

Tau ignored the continuing debate over how many the Lair could and should be able to accommodate to turn to Raph.   
"Is this why you wanted to know my favourite flower?" she asked in a whisper. He gave her a strained smile in reply.   
"Kinda; though Mike kept bugging me about it anyway. D'ya like it? I wanted 'em to do a picture of a horse, or somethin'…"   
"I love it." she grinned, giving his shoulder a light nudge with her own.

The group spent the next few minutes admiring the work that had gone into the room, Tau making her way around the other turtles and Splinter to give each of them her sincere thanks, as did April. Finally, some started to make their way back down-stairs. Don and Leatherhead the first to leave as they started discussing a new gadget that was taking form in the Laboratory below; closely followed by Leo and Mike, still engaged in their debate.

It seemed coincidental that Raph and Tau were the last to leave the bathroom. Too caught-up in their own conversations, everyone else continued on out of the alcove as he stopped her outside her room with a gentle grip on her arm.   
"I've got a little something for ya too." he said with a warm smile, reaching to open her door with his free hand.   
"Oh, Raph…, you shouldn't…" she flustered, unsuccessful in finding the strength to refuse the slight pressure he used to guide her through the doorway.

"Look." he interrupted her to point at the bed-side table. Tau instantly forgot her protests to walk over and gently pick up the three small picture frames, joined by hinges. The photos had been cut down to fit, and one of the joints was a little out of alignment due one of the hinges being a bit larger than the rest, obviously a replacement. The picture on the left showed her grandfather, riding a mare. The one on the right was a portrait of her mother. In the middle was the image of her birthday from a couple of years before, where she was proudly holding up her sword amidst her family.   
"I thought you might like a reminder that, even though they're gone, they'll always be with you." he explained softly.

He started to get nervous as she continued to stare intently at the pictures in silence; worried she didn't like his gift, but wasn't about to say so. The only movement she made was a slight twitch of her lips, and he had a sudden thought that she might be upset.   
"They're not the originals, so don't worry; they're back in your album. I got Don to make copies…" he faltered as she looked up at him, her eyes glistening "…you ok?" With a quick nod she tried to smile, failed and settled for glomping him in a strong embrace.   
"Oh, thank-you! Thank-you so much! You are the best friend I've ever had, d'ya know that?" she half-laughed, half-wept into the crook of his neck.

Astounded, it took Raph a moment before he wrapped his arms about her; teasing gently,   
"Yeah, yeah; whatever." He hoped he sounded more nonchalant than anything, not wanting his voice to betray the disappointment he felt. He should be happy she was his friend, right? She chuckled, ending with a snuffle, and gripped him even tighter in response.

Raph enjoyed the cuddle, in no real hurry to end it. However, as her breathing settled back to normal after a couple of minutes, he felt the compulsion to say something, going with the first thing to pop into his head.   
"So, does this mean I'm forgiven then?" he tried to joke.   
"Huh? For what?" she asked, raising her head to blink at him.   
"Uh, for the whole 'making you mad about bugs'… thing." This suddenly didn't seem like such a great topic to start off with; especially as she furrowed her brow, loosening her grip on him to lean back slightly.   
"Is that why you did this for me? Just to get back in my good books?" her tone was wary.   
"No. It's only, you've never said anything about it." he gave a dismissive shrug "It doesn't matter, 'k?" he appealed, hoping she'd let it go and just go back to hugging him closely again.

Tau tilted her head in consideration.   
"Tell me; have you forgiven me for taking your sai yet?" she asked softly. He eyed her with a look that questioned her grip on reality.   
"'Course I have!"   
"Well, there's your answer then." she stated matter-of-factly, though her lips started to curl into a coy, little smile before she rested her head back on his shoulder, fitting her arms snugly about him once more.

Raph took a moment to brood over her comment.   
"So, we're all good then?" he queried.   
"Yep." she grinned, Raph hearing it in her voice as it took on a mischievous edge "Though… I suppose I do still owe you a little payback for that..."   
"Huh? _Oh_!" he gasped, feeling her teeth on his neck. She didn't use enough force to break the skin, the suction she used was more painful. He was confounded for an instant, part of him wanting to push her off; until he realised he was instinctively tilting his head to give her greater access. It still hurt a little after his initial shock, but the pleasure of what she was doing quickly over-rode the pain.

He wasn't sure how many seconds had passed before the sound of wood clicking against stone outside the room made her break off the contact. However long it had been it wasn't long enough; he felt suddenly bereft as she took a quick step backwards, her own face colouring slightly as she glanced at the wall, the ground, anywhere but at him.   
"Tausha, may I come in?" came Splinters' voice from the alcove.   
"Um, yeah? I mean, yes! Of course you can." she flustered.

Taking in the scene in the room as he came through the doorway – Raphael with one hand resting on his belt, the other cupping his neck as he looked away in a pose that screamed he was nowhere near as innocent as he was trying to appear, Tausha giving a nervous smile as she fidgeted with the set of frames in her hands – Splinter felt compelled to ask,   
"I am not disturbing your conversation…?"   
"No. Not at all." she assured in a rush.   
"Oh, good. There is something I wish to discuss with you. I feel it is important, and that you may prefer to discuss it in _private_."   
"Ah," unable to come-up with any reasonable excuse to deny the Master's request, she conceded with a crooked smile "Alright." After exchanging an anxious glance with Tau, Raph took the hint in his fathers' tone; leaving the room with an awkward bow.

Splinter took pity on the girl who could barely meet his eyes and was practically trembling with apprehension. Giving her a warm smile, he quickly took a seat on the edge of the mattress, draping her duffle coat that he'd brought with him over the foot of her bed.   
"Please." he invited her to sit beside him with a sweep of his paw "You are not in any trouble." Cautiously she took his offer, her curiosity piqued as he extracted his Shell-cell from inside the top of his kimono.   
"I have every confidence in Donatellos' assurance that the calls we make with these devices are untraceable…"

---------- ----------

It was getting late. The only light-sources in the room were the myriad pin points shining from the city spread-out below the floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyscrapers of Manhattan glimmering from across the East River, and a solitary, small candle. He knew he should blow it out. It was burning low; the wax had already created a rivulet running over the top of the chocolate muffin it was set on top of, to drip onto his desk. However, every time he leaned forward to do the deed he felt as if the flame were all he had left of her, once it was gone she'd somehow be lost to him forever.

It was stupid sentimentalism, he knew. And it pissed him off to be so weak; it wasn't like him at all. Or maybe it was just the aggravation he felt at the note in his hand that was making him so moody. By the flickering light he scanned the page again, starting at the top with that symbol; the one he would have gladly given his service, his daughter, his life for less than a year ago.

'_It was our agreement that you manage our American interests, in the name of your own organisation; under the condition that you at least maintain the level of control we had prior to our consolidation in Japan, and your loyalty to The Foot Clan. Given the recent reports of increased activity detrimental to our cause from other organisations within New York City, that you seem unable to address, and your lack of co-operation with our requests and representatives, I remind you that your annual review is fast approaching. It will not be favourable for you unless significant progress is made towards achieving our goals. Take this missive as warning that we will remove you from your position if you do not pay heed to our treaty._  
_Iuchiban - Jonin_'

With a snarl he crumpled the note in his fist. This was _his_ city. It always had been. He had sworn fealty to the Shredder, not the Foot; part of that deal had allowed him to keep his own organisation, run things the way _he_ saw fit, so long as he also met his Masters' needs. That was before he'd discovered just what that 'Master' was. If it wasn't for those damn interfering reptiles he would never have learned…

He choked back the bile that rose with that memory. There was no-way in hell he was going to do anything simply because the _Foot_ ordered him to. As far as he was concerned all of their equipment and supplies still in his possession were compensation for the shit he'd had to put up with; and Karai? He liked having her close at hand, where he could watch her suffer. So, no, he hadn't done anything to 'help' the Foot to extradite her to Japan as they wanted. Besides, right now, he had bigger things to worry about than some fucking 'annual review'. Let them come and try to 'remove' him. They'd have one hell of a fight on their hands.

The candle sputtered and drowned in its own wax, the sudden darkness jolting him from his thoughts of the Foot. He _did_ have something bigger to worry about…

A long moment later a buzzing from his pocket made him jerk up-right in his chair, the resulting movement of air across his face made it feel oddly chilled. Brushing his finger-tips down his cheek he gazed blankly at the moisture he'd collected as he fished his mobile phone out of his jacket pocket.

'_New SMS – Private Number_' glowed on the phones' small screen. He furrowed his brow; no-one who had his number appeared without a caller ID. Figuring it was a wrong number, he opened the message anyway.   
'_gday dad. dont worry. im happy healthy doing fine :-)_'

He breathed a sigh of relief, then stood with every intention of taking his phone down to what passed for his 'tech support' these days; namely the goons in his employ that had at least started college, to get them to trace the number. Before he made it to the door of his office his phone buzzed again, the same alert showing on the screen as before. He paused to check the new message.   
'_luv u_'

Stood in the doorway between his office and living room, he tried to message back; forcibly throwing the hand-set against the wall with a growl as he received nothing but an error in response. Deciding not to leave his private rooms tonight, he headed to bed instead; gingerly collecting his battered phone from the floor and taking it with him, unconsciously cradling it against his chest.

---------- ----------

It must've been over an hour since he'd climbed into his hammock, but he felt no closer to falling asleep as he stared into the dimness of his room. Again he snatched his hand away from his neck as he caught himself fingering the bruise Tau had given him. Thankfully, no-one seemed to notice it after he'd left her room, probably passing it off as a result of sparring earlier that day. He hated to think of the lecture he'd get if anyone figured out what the mark meant.

The damage still ached slightly at his touch, but he couldn't seem to stop his hand from creeping back up to caress the spot. He didn't get it; she'd _bitten_ him! If anyone else had tried that he would have floored them on the spot! As it was, he wasn't sure what it meant that he hadn't; or that he would really, really like for her to do it again. Or, even more so, that he would like to do it back to her.

That train of thought made him swallow thickly, rolling over onto his other side to study the stones in the wall beside his bed for the umpteenth time. He also wasn't too sure what she had meant by 'payback'. He had mulled on that for quite a while before he remembered he had once left a mark on her neck, and she'd been beaten for it. Maybe, he shouldn't be feeling this way at all, was it just his animal instincts coming into play? Had Tau actually _wanted_ his family to notice the mark and give him hell over it?

He jerked his blanket high over his shoulder, exposing his feet. Growling with frustration, he wrestled with the heavy material for moment before deciding it was pointless trying to get any sleep before he got some answers. With a loud huff he threw back his covers, hopped off his hammock and had stepped out of his door before he caught himself. He couldn't just go barging into her room at this time of night…, could he? She was probably asleep already…, but if she wasn't…

He was continuing that debate in his head, unwittingly pacing between his bedroom door and the ledge that led on to her alcove, when an unexpected voice made him start.   
"Problem, Raph?"   
"No, Leo." Raph snapped sharply at his brother; who was stood outside of his own bedroom with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.   
"Doesn't look that way to me." Leo arched an eye-ridge as Raph stopped his pacing to glower at him.   
"It's none of your damn, fucking business. Alright?"

Leo opened his mouth to retort, to be interrupted by an irate order from below,   
"My sons, not at this hour! Resolve your differences in the morning!" Favouring each other with a parting glare, the two brothers retired to their rooms once more.

---------- ----------

Tau shot upright at the sound of raised voices. Though she couldn't make out what was being said through the walls of her room; she did recognise who was involved in the argument. At Master Splinters' voice she strained her hearing in an attempt to figure out what was happening, to no avail. In the end, she slumped backward to lie flat on her bed again with a groan. She was sure she knew what had sparked the confrontation, the same thing that kept her from finding any rest.

"What a mess… Idiot." she chastised herself in a murmur. It had been a stupid impulse, meant as a bit of a light-hearted joke; but the way it had made him clutch her tighter, and her own heart pound, had immediately proven it was more than that. How could she be so unfair to him? He was her friend, and that was all he could ever be. He was a turtle after-all. T-u-r-t-l-e. What would her father think, for a start?

There were many other reasons; good, solid, logical reasons they couldn't be more than friends, and she'd pondered them all tonight. She knew it was the only rational outcome. So why the heck had she followed that foolish compulsion? It was his fault; she'd concluded. All this was just a silly crush, a result of the novelty of finding there was a guy – no, male… no, _turtle_ – who seemed to like her. If he hadn't kissed her in the first place, they probably would never have ended up in this state.

With a heavy sigh she rolled over onto her side again, her blankets a hopeless tangle, and resolved to apologise to him; the first chance she got.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Ta most muchly to my two beta-readers; CPQ and Artykidd. I really appreciate you both taking the time to do this for me, despite being so busy with everything else going on for you at the moment.

A big thank you for the review since last chapter too, Artykidd! I was starting to think my darn review function had gone awol again. It is definitely working again now, so I'd love to know what you all think of how this story is going. Love it? Hate it? Couldn't care less? And most importantly; is it getting boring for ya? If so, I needs ta know! -grin-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either. This includes the lyrics to 'Lithium Flower' by Yoko Kanno… Don does have good taste in music, lol!

------- -------

Raph wasn't happy. Despite his fathers' recent order for calm, he still couldn't help muttering under his breath as he wheeled his bike away from the Battle-shell to secure it in the warehouse. Why the hell did they have to take so much stuff? They were only going for a few days; but Mike had insisted on taking extra blankets and guff, tons of food and, of course, the gifts had to be packed 'just so'. So much for Raphs' hopes of taking his bike for a spin through the Northampton country-side.

It certainly didn't help that his temper had been a bit strained these past three weeks or so as it was. The morning after Taus' birthday, he'd been sitting alone at the table whilst his brothers messed about in the kitchen, still self-consciously rubbing the small, tender spot on his neck. He wasn't hungry, happy nursing his _strong_ cup of coffee, clutching his mug with both hands as he'd heard her approach behind him.

Playing it cool, he hadn't bothered to turn around, despite her standing there for a moment. Then, he had almost jumped when he felt her hand touch him on the shoulder, light as a feather, and heard her whisper in his ear,   
"I'm sorry for what I did last night, I was outta line. It won't happen again, I promise. 'k?" Before he had a chance to answer, his brothers had come spilling out of the kitchen, so all he could do was give a grim nod that he'd heard her. Then she was gone; dashing off to fix her own meal, leaving him to curse over burning his hands on his mug once he realised how hard he'd been gripping the hot enamel.

For a week after that she hadn't spoken to him much, not that he'd given her many chances to. He'd almost been grounded again for sneaking out of the lair, and this time he'd paid heed to his Fathers' warning, if only to avoid being trapped in the same place as her. He was worried that would lead to a fight, which would result in her being evicted all together. The saying 'caught between a rock and a hard-place' had taken on a whole new depth of meaning for him over those days, and he was grateful she spent most afternoons at her job; even if it made him realise over time that, despite everything, he did still miss her when she was away.

Gradually, they had managed to relax again around each other. Things were pretty much back to normal between them now; though he still found his patience was worn a bit thin. She'd been a little short with his brothers when they tried to goof around with her as well.

Raph was just unravelling the dust sheet for his bike when a tune sounded in the warehouse;   
'_She's so cold and human,_  
_it's something humans do._  
_She stays so golden solo,_  
_she's so number nine;_  
_she's incredible math,_  
_just incredible math…_'   
The music cut off as Don answered his Shell-cell;   
"Hey April! --- Oh, that's no good. --- Um, I don't think I have a spare one of those, but I'll just go check…" he continued talking into his hand-piece, wandering away from the van to rummage through the various collections of vehicle parts stored about the place.   
"That sounds a bit ominous," commented Leo, handing another box up to Mike in the back of the truck.

"Careful with that!" Mike admonished unnecessarily; taking the parcel with exaggerated care, placing it on one half of the alcove seat and fussing about wrapping the seat-belt around it. He turned back to give a sheepish smile in the face of Leos' reprimanding look.   
"Just what do you think you are doing, Mikey? We might need that seat!"   
"Nuh-uh, there's six of us and seven seats. I've put a lot of work into that cake, there's no-way I'm gonna risk it getting tossed about the back of the van if Raphs' gonna drive!"

"Hey guys," interrupted Don, tucking his Shell-cell back into its pocket on his belt "a bit of bad news; Caseys' pick-up has died. We can probably resurrect it, but neither Casey nor I have all the parts we'd need; and even if we could get them today, I doubt we'd be getting to the farm before late Christmas Day, if we stopped to fix it now. I was thinking I could rig up another seat…" he petered out, taking stock of the mound of supplies dominating every spare inch of free space in the truck. "And that roof rack I've been planning too, by the looks!"

"Eep!" objected Mike, protectively clasping his cake-box "No way you're putting my baby on the _roof_!"   
"Why don't we just strap Mikey to the roof instead?" taunted Raph as he returned to the van.   
"Yeah! No, wait! Then who'd look after my cake?"   
"Oh, for goodness sake…" groaned Leo, rolling his eyes.

A few moments later the elevator soundlessly rose from the floor, hissing open to release Splinter and Tau with the last of the supplies from below. The two paused in their own conversation, taken aback by the scene at the rear of the van. Mike valiantly (and loudly) fending Leo and Raph off of his precious box with a sweeping kick, though the tables looked to be turning as Raph caught his brothers' leg in a lock, allowing Leo to get in closer to their quarry; Don wandering past absorbed in a sheaf of blueprints, hefting a piece of squared pipe as he considered its' suitability for…what now?

The rat and the girl glanced at each other; she in incredulity, he in weary resignation that he should have known his sons would be disproving his words of praise for their close family connection he had just been assuring her of.   
"My sons…"   
"Ki-YAH!" Mike managed to twist to free his leg and elbow Leo in the mid-riff ("Oof!"). His escape knocked Raph off balance ("Aargh!"), and his arms pin-wheeled momentarily to stop him toppling out of the van altogether, managing to connect with Dons' metal pipe ("Hey! Noo!") sending it, and all the blueprints, flying up into the air.

Tau ducked needlessly as Master Splinter deftly caught the projectile.   
"My sons!" his stern tone gaining their attention this time, except for Don who immediately set about collecting his papers off of the floor "What is the meaning of this?"   
"Master Splinter!" Leo straightened quickly to turn and give a quick bow to his sensei "Caseys' truck has broken down, so we're just trying to organise the Battle-shell to accommodate the two of them as well. But Mike is...well he's…"   
"Bein' stupid!" finished Raph.   
"Am not!" declared Mike.   
"Are too!"   
"Am NOT!"   
"ARE T…"   
"GUYS!" Leo yelled to stop his brothers, looking back to his father with a sheepish grin.

"We'll have to leave some of our supplies here," put in Don as he straightened, still trying to put his pages in order, and ignoring Mikes' immediate protests, to continue "and it's gonna take me a while to fit another seat. Might as we'll settle in for a bit of a wait, I doubt we'll be able to set off until well after lunch."   
"But, that's no way to spend Christmas Eve!" lamented Mike "We should all be enjoying the day together! Besides, what can we leave behind? And we gotta get there in plenty of time to get a tree up! There's gotta be another way!"

"Sometimes, there isn't Mike." stated Leo.   
"Yeah, like we don't spend enough time bein' bugged by you as it is." jibed Raph, half under his breath.   
"For starters," continued Leo "you can take that box _off_ that seat. I told you we would need it. And we'll just have to consolidate everything else." he directed, bending down to begin sorting through their supplies.   
"Awww!" moaned Mike "But it's just not right. We need that, and that. That's important! No, that's gotta stay…"

Splinter gave a small sigh, watching the bickering in the van begin to escalate again as he stepped over to Donatello.   
"Is there no other solution? Michelangelo is right that this _should_ be a 'harmonious' day."   
"I'm sorry Master, but I can't see how else we're gonna fit everyone into the Battle-shell."   
"Hmmm, then perhaps the answer is not to." pondered the Sensei. Don furrowed his brow for a moment, unsure of his fathers' meaning he glanced over to where the vehicles were parked.   
"Doh! Of course!" he instantly grinned in comprehension; turning back to see Tau looking utterly crestfallen, his frown quickly returned "What's wrong?"

Tau quickly pasted a brittle smile on her face.   
"Nothing! I don't mind staying here… I mean, I'm not really family, or anything."   
"Nonsense!" chided Splinter "You may not be family, but you are a friend. We would not think to leave you behind if you did not wish to be. No, the remedy lies with Raphael." he explained.

The situation in the truck was getting heated.   
"Mike! There has to be _something_ here you can live without!" vented Leo, slapping his hand down on a roll of blankets. The corner of a clear, plastic bag shot out from between the layers of wool, catching his attention. "What's this?"   
"That's nothing Leo, just leave it…!" Mike failed to dissuade his brother from drawing it out; holding the small baggie, and the sprig of leaves it contained, up for inspection.   
"Where did you get this from?" asked Leo, his tone suddenly deceptively calm and level, causing Mike to give a guilty, obsequious grin. "Didn't I _specifically_ ban this?"   
"Well, yeah, but it's _traditional_! It's not Christmas without it!" his brother offered in his own defence. Leo didn't buy it, fixing Mike with a hard glare.   
"_No_ mistletoe." was his verdict, tucking the offending plant into his belt to confiscate it.

Mike opened his mouth to protest, but wisely thought better of it, settling for folding his arms and muttering under his breath in a grump.   
"Suck it up, Mikey. I don't get to take my bike, but ya don't hear me complainin'" scolded Raph.   
"Nah, you've already chucked your hissy fit over that!" Mike taunted sarcastically, the hot-head raising a fist in response.   
"Watch what yer sayin', or I'll make ya eat those words!"   
"Like to see ya try…"

"Raphael, Michelangelo; enough!" Splinter brusquely interrupted the imminent brawl "We have a solution that should satisfy everyone. Raphael can ride his motorbike to the farm."   
"Yeah? _Yes!_" Raph directed his fist in the air, as opposed to at his brother as he'd originally intended.   
"Awesome!" agreed Mike.   
"Uh-huh." dead-panned Leo "Now just shift that box and it'll be all good."   
"Wha…? No! Why doesn't Raph just take someone with him? Huh?"   
"Like who?" Leo folded his arms.   
"Ummm, like…Tau?" suggested Mike diffidently, backing it up with his most cajoling smile.

"I don't think so!" Gob-smacked, Leo turned to see Tau stood around half a meter away from the back of the van, arms crossed, leaning back in a pose of cool defiance. The look on Raphs' face was a carbon-copy of his brothers; he instantly discarded the objection he had been about to make.   
"What the hell d'ya mean '_you_ don't think so'?" he demanded of her; Tau quirked a sceptical brow.   
"I mean; I've _seen_ how you ride that thing!"   
"Smart girl." whispered Leo in an aside to Mike, as Raph leapt down from the truck to stop with his beak no more than an inch from her nose, his eyes angry slits. Tau barely flinched, standing her ground.

"You dragged me off on some _crazy_ ride on a damn horse, but you won't ride with me on _my_ bike?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.   
"'Crazy?' Are you saying I wasn't in control?" she countered, her own eyes narrowing.   
"That friggin' animal was _huge_, how much control could ya have had over it? At least my bike doesn't have a mind of its own! Ya know what I think? I think you're just _chicken_." a goading grin started playing on his lips.

Tau was silent a moment, looking utterly affronted. Turning her nose in the air she tried to salvage as much dignity as she could, declaring;   
"I am _not_ 'chicken'."   
"Prove it."   
"Fine then, I will."   
"Good."   
"Good!"   
"Great!"   
"_Great!_"   
"WONDERFUL!"   
"Heh, maybe not!" Mike beamed as he retorted to Leo in a hushed voice; Raph and Tau continuing to bandy the 'last word' back and forth as they stalked away from each other.

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"You be a good kitty for Unca' Leatherhead now, okay?" petitioned Mike, giving Klunk a last cuddle before handing the cat over to the towering mutant. Taking his friends pet with care, the croc assured,   
"He will be fine with us. Enjoy your trip, all of you."   
"I wish you'd come up to the farm one day, big guy." lamented Mike. With a chuckle Leatherhead shook his head.   
"I don't think so, Mikey. I have never found travelling in such vehicles over long distances a particularly pleasant experience."   
"C'mon Mike, time to roll-out!" interrupted Raph bluntly. With a final grin and wave for his friends, Mike jumped into the back of the Battle-shell, shutting the rear doors before he settled himself on the spare half of the bench seat, one arm draped triumphantly over his cake-box.

As Don started the engine of the truck, Leatherhead and Honeycutt waving them good-bye, Raph glanced back at the girl seated behind him. The visor of her helmet still up, she gave him a nervous grin. He shot her a cocky one in response.   
"Just make sure ya hold on tight, 'k?" he directed, a roguish note in his voice. He pulled his helmet on before she had a chance to retort. Her grin failing a little as she wondered just what she'd got herself into, Tau tugged down her visor; quick to grab him as tight as she could about his waist, giving a short squeal as the bike shot out of the warehouse, rearing in a small wheelie in pursuit of his family.

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After a quick stop to pick up April and Casey - at which point Raph, almost as much as his family, was relieved to see Taus' expression was one more of exhilaration than terror - the little convoy headed north, out of the city. They had been on the road to Massachusetts for close to three hours now, and Raph had behaved himself; following Leos' rules of staying close behind the Battle-shell, and not pulling anymore stunts.

It had gotten pretty tedious, having to stare at the rear doors of the van for the most part. He'd started to wish he could talk to Tau to relieve the monotony. Despite his initial fear that having her with him would make his trip uncomfortable, he'd quickly grown to enjoy the feeling of her pressed against his shell, her thighs tucked up behind his own. Even through the thick jeans and jackets they both wore, her embrace helped to keep him warm, fending off the wind-chill.

He'd taken it as vindication after their little spat that she seemed to relax pretty quickly, not gripping him quite as tensely as she had to start off with and picking up how to shift her weight through corners and the like in no time. Though she always kept one arm wrapped tight around his mid-riff, she started to rest her other hand lightly on his shoulder, or his thigh, he guessed as a way for her to relieve the stiffness in her limbs. Once they left the city behind, she had even started briefly pointing out things that caught her interest as they sped through the snow-dusted country-side.

As the Battle-shell pulled off the main highway, heading to the spot they usually stopped for a break in the journey to the Jones family farmhouse - and in this case, lunch - Raph had a sudden inspiration. Waiting until the convoy turned onto the dirt road that was the last stretch to their stop-over, he reached down to pick her hand off his leg; wrapping it back around his waist. She seemed to figure what he was planning, gripping him tight again and giving a nod that he felt against his shoulder as she peered past it. With a "WHOOP!" he swiftly over-took the truck, pulling his bike back up onto one wheel as they passed the side window, dropping back down in front of the van to give a cheeky, little fishtail, spattering mud, before speeding away down the track.

Five minutes later the Shell-cycle roared into a small, deserted clearing. Raph made the back wheel skid about as they came to a stop, parking neatly under the overhanging branches of a large pine. Flicking his leg over the gas-tank, he was off his bike in an instant, yanking his helmet off to savour the smell of the surrounding woods. Tau dismounted a little more gingerly, giving her thighs a rub before doffing her helmet.

"Heh. I didn't scare ya too much there, did I?" he asked with a grin. She beamed up at him from where she was bent over, massaging the tops of her legs again.   
"Nah! That was fun!" she laughed.   
"You ok?" he tilted his head as she finished her ministrations.   
"Yeah; your shell just started to dig into my legs a bit after a while there." she assured. Then her smile dimmed as she grew serious. "About this morning; I was actually tryin' to give you an 'out', just…not very well." she gave a sheepish shrug.   
"An 'out'? From what?" he creased his brow.   
"From, well…, from having to ride with me. I wasn't sure you'd wanna." she murmured, toeing the ground.

Despite the fact he had been about to object to taking her on his bike, before she'd kicked up about it, he suddenly didn't want to admit to it.   
"Forget it. We're friends after-all, aren't we?" he threw out casually, hoping the sudden nerves he felt weren't showing through; relieved when she gave him a warm, side-long smile.   
"Yeah." she drawled.

They both fidgeted for a quiet moment, before Raph reached to grab her hand.   
"You gotta come see this!" he invited, though she didn't get much chance to refuse as he quickly led her through the trees with a strong grip. Not that she minded, grateful for the support as her legs protested the sudden effort to keep up with him. They hadn't gone far into the woods when they suddenly stepped out from the tree-line onto a narrow ledge, high above a winding river valley. The wilderness, an undulating patchwork of trees and snow, stretched away below them to the horizon; seeming to meld with the mass of roiling clouds that filled the sky, threatening more snow.

"Oh wow!" she breathed, barely loud enough to be heard over the rapids below. After being confined in the city for so long, the sudden feeling of immense space almost overwhelmed her; accentuated by the lonely cry of a hawk circling above.   
"Thought you might like this." he murmured, following the bird-of-prey with his eyes. She watched it too, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.   
"Thank-you." she whispered, her smile growing wider as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.   
"'s what friends are for." he assured quietly.

A minute later, the sound of an engine coming to a halt somewhere behind them filtered through the trees. Raph silently commiserated with the disappointed little sigh Tau gave, though neither of them turned away from enjoying the vista.   
"Raphael!" they shared a jaded little glance as Leo approached. "What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that? If you'd hit ice on the road, or lost control, you could've killed…"   
"It was my fault, Leo." Tau calmly interceded, stepping protectively in front of her friend; Raphs' scowl quickly turning to a look of confusion. "I egged him on."   
"Wha… Why?" Leo glanced suspiciously between them both; surely Raph wouldn't be so low as to put her up to this.   
"I needed to stretch my legs a bit." she explained simply.   
"Oh, well… you should both learn to be less reckless." he lectured, feeling he'd lost his thunder a bit. With a quick, almost bewildered shake of his head he headed back to his family.

Tau jumped slightly as she felt Raphs' hand wrap around her hip, pulling her so hard against his front she could clearly feel the wing of his sai, hidden under his long coat, impressing on the small of her back.   
"I can fight my own battles." he muttered by her ear, his gruff tone sending a shiver down her spine.   
"Heh. I know that. I just felt I owed you one. Besides, he's starting to get on my nerves too." she murmured in response.   
"Yeah?" Raph gave a low chuckle, loosening his hold on her a little; his mirth fading to ask in mild concern "You cold?"   
"A bit." she admitted; figuring it wasn't a complete lie.   
"Here's hopin' Mike remembered to pack a thermos in with all the other crud, hey?" he smiled, leaving his hand gripping her far hip as he shifted to walk beside her, following his brothers' tack.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you very much to minlee1 and artykidd for the reviews, they really do make my week!

Many thanks for the great beta work done by artykidd and CPQ as well. You help me out way more than you know by doing this for me, I'm sure chicas. -grin-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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It was a relatively lazy Christmas morning; a rare chance to sleep in, no training, Caseys' 'patented' fry-up for breakfast. Most of the greasy plates were still sitting around the living room, at risk of being buried under rumpled, discarded wrapping-paper. Mike was the only one that wasn't settled somewhere, busy making trips between the Christmas Tree and whomever was the recipient of the next parcel he picked up. He only paused to bounce happily when he found one of his own; tearing the paper off with glee, it often fluttering down to land on Raphs' head, to rave about whatever he had received.

Raph and Leo were sat on the floorboards, either side of the hearth; occasionally feeding the paper their gifts had been wrapped in to the small fire they were trying to encourage to grow. Splinters' feet and tail dangled from where he was seated in the wooden rocking chair, just behind Leo. Some of his gifts were yet to be opened, piled neatly on his lap; he was content, watching the happy reactions of his family and friends.

April was curled in one of the two well-worn, yet stout mock-leather armchairs set beside the staircase that ran up the side of the room. She was still in her robe and pink slippers, a steaming mug in one hand and one of her new books open in the other. Casey was sat, legs splayed, on the thick rug that covered the majority of the floor. Most of his wrappings made it over his shoulder to pile up haphazardly behind him.

Under the windows that looked out onto the front porch, was the old, red vinyl couch. Don and Tau were sat shoulder to shoulder upon it, as he explained all the functions of her new Shell-cell to her. Catching part of their conversation every now and then, Leo thought some of her questions were a bit simple, stuff she surely could have figured out on her own. But then it did seem to distract his brother from glancing nervously about the room quite so often, especially whenever Mike had passed another gift to April.

"Aww." moaned Mike lightly, almost catching his bandanna tails on a low branch as he backed out from where he'd crawled under the tree "These are the last ones!" he straightened with a small package in each hand. Leo kept a surreptitious eye on Don as his brother tensed, his eyes fixed on Mike as he crossed the room.   
"Here Sensei, this one's for you."   
"Thank you Michelangelo."   
"Heh, guess we'd better have a bit of a tidy, huh?"

"Mike?" Leo half-asked, half-exclaimed, not sure what unsettled him more; Mike actually suggesting they clean up, or the way Dons' knuckles were turning white where he gripped the wooden arm of the couch. "Who is that last gift for?" he prompted, getting to his feet.   
"Huh? Oh, Wha… this?" Mike lifted the gift slightly, his eyes darting to the small card dangling from it, now obscured in his other hand. "Uh, Raphie-boy!"   
"It is?" peeped Don in shock, his voice cracking slightly. April looked up from her book.   
"Are you ok Donnie, you look a little pale?" she asked in concern, quickly putting her mug and book aside to walk over to him.   
"Uh, yeah! I'm fine, April. Fine! Just, ah, might be getting a bit of a cold, maybe, heh." he faked a couple of light coughs to back up his story.

April eyed him with a slightly sceptical appraisal, unperturbed by the way he shuffled back against the cushions to rest the back of her fingers on his fore head.   
"You do feel a little clammy. I think there's some cough medicine upstairs, I'll see if I can go find it, okay?" she smiled warmly. Don gave a weak little nod.   
"Thanks, April." he murmured diffidently, giving a little sigh as she disappeared up the stair-case.

Under the pretence of gathering the mess off the floor, Leo had made his way over to the side of the couch before April had left. Crouching to Dons' eye-level he gently gripped his brothers' arm.   
"Are you alright? I'm here if you need me."   
"Thanks Leo." Donnie gave a crooked little half-smile; then started as Casey reached over from where he was seated on the floor to give his lower leg a rough rub.   
"Buck-up dude! Christmas is no time to be getting sick!" he grinned encouragingly.

Tau despaired as her friends' smile became strained. Rising from the couch she grabbed Dons' hand and pulled him up after her.   
"All you really need is a nice hot drink. C'mon, I'll make you one while you set my ring-tone for me. Ok?"   
"O…ok." he agreed as he let her lead him into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind them. Not wanting to draw too much attention to his brothers' plight, Leo made quick work of gathering a few more bits of discarded plastic packaging under one arm, and some of the dirty dishes in his free hand, before he backed his way through the kitchen door as well.

As Don and Tau had left, Raph had given his brothers' leg a light back-hand to get his attention.   
"Earth to Mikey! You gonna hand me that or what?" Mike knelt beside him, to whisper in his ear as quiet as could be,   
"It's for both of ya, really. Just don't let Leo see, 'k?" before he handed over the present. Raph treated him to a suspicious glance, however before he could comment Mike was back on his feet and helping to gather up the rest of the rubbish as Leo left for the kitchen.

He couldn't say why, but Raph felt an odd sense akin to dread as he gazed at the front of the small, home-made card. '_For Raphael, from Mikey_' flowed in neat, red script diagonally across it. Inside was written;   
'_Merry Christmas_   
_VERY Happy New Year!_   
_One way or another…_'   
It did very little to dispel his unease.

"I think a fresh cup of tea is in order." said Splinter, to no-one in particular, as he slipped off the rocking chair; making a bee-line for the kitchen himself. Deciding to bite-the-bullet, Raph ripped the paper off his last gift, confused at what fell out. Looking up, he just caught sight of Mikes' feet vanishing at the top of the stairs before he scowled back down at the items in his lap. A small jar of Nutella hazelnut spread, with a little paint-brush taped to the side of it, had been nestled inside a roll of silver duct-tape.

He didn't get it. He picked up the card again, searching for clues. '_One way or another…_' The dots seemed to be leading to something, and on a whim, he flicked the card over to look at the back. His chocking gasp caught Caseys' attention, making his friend leave off trying to assemble his new model plane to come peer over his shoulder.   
"Huh? I don't get it?" Casey admitted, spotting the jar of chocolaty spread and the tape. Raph made sure the card was well out of sight, hidden in his hand.   
"It's nothin', just one of Mikeys' pranks."   
"Huh." grunted Casey, unimpressed. To Raphs' relief, he turned his back to return to building his Spitfire.

Cautiously Raph opened his hand to peer at the small, but meticulous images gracing the back of his card. One had he and Tau looking not hugely happy at being trussed face-to-face, mummified together from shoulders to hips in silver tape, their fists sticking out from the bottom of their confines. The other featured them both from the waist up only, sans clothes, and detailed a rather unorthodox way for him to consume the chocolate spread. With a grimace he figured it wasn't a useful image to have burned into his minds' eye right now, making to throw it into the flames dancing in front of him. At the last moment he paused, glanced at the card again, and then tucked it into a pocket on his belt with a low, resigned growl.

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(Meanwhile…)   
Tau settled Don on one of the high-backed stools in the kitchen, giving him a little time to himself for a few moments as she fussed with the kettle and a couple of mugs. Soon there was nothing else she could waste time with until the water boiled, so she leaned back against the counter next to where he was seated and waited in vain for him to talk.   
"_Are_ you ok?" she prompted, once it was clear he wasn't going to look up from his inspection of the floor.   
"Yeah." he sighed "I… I'm not really sick." he confessed.   
"I know." Tau assured levelly "Have you ever considered telling her how you feel?"

Don didn't look up, but it was clear from the way he froze he hadn't anticipated that question. Leo came through the door shell first, nudging it closed with his foot as he turned to put the dishes in the sink, the rubbish in the bin. Quickly finishing his chore he glanced up at the two situated further along the kitchen bench, taken aback by the uncharacteristically evil glare Don was treating him to.   
"What's wrong?" asked Leo.   
"How could you tell? You promised!" accused his brother, sounding close to tears.   
"I… I didn't 'tell' anything Donnie, I wouldn't!"   
"He didn't have to Don." added Tau "I figured it out for myself. It wasn't that hard really…"

The utter mortification on his face as his head shot up at her admission made Tau wish she could take it back somehow.   
"You did? It…it isn't? Does everyone know?" he whimpered. She shrugged, searching for the words to make it right.   
"Honestly, I don't know. I haven't said anything to anyone but Leo." Tau rubbed his arm in consolation "I don't think she realises, and I'm damn sure Casey hasn't figured it out, if that's any help." Don tilted his head in consideration for a moment, before he gave a dejected nod.

"Don, you have to find a way through this." urged Leo "You can't keep letting your emotions get the better of you."   
"I know, I know." Don sniffled "I knew from the start I didn't have a chance, I just can't… help it. She's just a… an _angel_! And I'm…" a sob broke his voice. Tau grabbed a tea-towel off the side, offering it to him to pat his eyes dry.   
"Thanks." he gave her a sad, little half-smile once he'd regained his composure.

"Why wouldn't you have had a chance?" Tau asked softly. Leo butt in before his brother could reply.   
"None of us do. _This_ is what I keep warning everyone about!"   
"How can you think that?" she accused.   
"Because we are turtles; whether we like it or not, whether _you_ like it or not, we are _different_."   
"That's totally unfair…!"   
"_Yes_, it is!" both Leo and Tau turned from their confrontation in surprise at Splinters' sudden, stern input "This is not the time, nor the place, for such an argument. I am sure the last thing Donatello needs at the moment is for you two to be squabbling over the semantics of the situation."

Tau quickly copied Leo in giving the Master a brief bow and apology, though she turned to murmur "Sorry." to Don as well.   
"'s ok." he replied softly, before furtively meeting his Fathers' eyes. "You know too?" he asked plaintively.   
"I have…'suspected', for some time now." Splinter admitted, his tone now one of warm compassion. "However, I made the error of assuming that since you were aware of the impending development in April and Caseys' relationship, and still did not come to speak with me regarding your…'attachment', that you had come to terms with what was occurring." He stepped between Leo and Tau to place a consoling hand on his distressed sons' shoulder. "I am always here for you, my son. Why did you not wish to speak to me of this?"

Don gave a little shrug.   
"Too…embarrassed, I guess." he explained, ashamed "And I thought I had 'dealt' with it. I was all prepared for her to…get the ring this morning. But when she didn't, it just kinda…threw me, heh." he attempted a crooked smile, his Father returning the gesture.   
"You do know you can speak to me regarding anything?" Splinter stated more than asked in earnest.   
"Yeah, I know. I just… I know. Sorry." sighed Don.   
"There is nothing to forgive." he was assured as Splinter held out his arms. With a grateful smile Don slipped off his chair to take the offered hug.

Sensing this was a bit of a 'family' moment, Tau stepped away to tend to the hot drinks, as Leo gave his brothers' shoulder a consoling rub.   
"You'll be okay Don." he murmured, the words sounding hollow even to his own ears.

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Lunch was simple fare, warm ham sandwiches with fruit-mince cakes to follow, so as not to 'spoil' their appetites for the feast Mike had already started preparing for Christmas Dinner. Not that anyone was disappointed in the light meal; everyone had been snacking on various festive treats already. However, it was the first time they had all gathered together again after opening their gifts that morning; around the large, rectangular dining table that sat at the far end of the living room, just outside the kitchen door.

Most of the boys had spent the morning outside, trying to master the remote control for Caseys' plane. Splinter and Don had merely watched the antics from the porch swing, hung in front of the kitchen window. Mike had spent a short time joining in with saving the plane from its frequent dives into the thin covering of snow on the ground, before heading inside to start on his turkey roast and other goodies.

April had gotten a copy of 'Love Actually' on DVD from her sister for Christmas, and since no-one else had accepted her invitation to watch it on her lap top – most rejecting it quite strenuously – Tau had yielded. The two girls had spent the morning lying on the living room rug, their bare feet warmed by the fire, as they watched the movie on the small screen set up in front of them on the floor. And they were both now regretting eating quite so many rum balls and candy canes during the course of the film.

Tau had wondered if she should tell April about the earlier events in the kitchen, but a good moment to bring it up never seemed to present itself. So, in the end, she decided to let it go. Besides, she figured it was probably more appropriate that Don talk to the red-head about it, though she despaired he ever would.

Raph shot her an odd look as she quick-stepped over to sit beside him at the table, the floor boards feeling very chill to her warmed bare feet.   
"Hey." he dead-panned in greeting.   
"Hey!" she beamed in reply, tipping her head back to flick her loose hair behind her shoulders with her hands.

Raph blinked, wishing she hadn't done that. He'd been glad of the distracting cold and exertion of his mornings' activities. They had almost made him forget Mikes' damn drawing. But seeing her lean back like that for that split-moment, she couldn't have copied the pose his brother had drawn her in any closer if she had tried. Ok, so she was wearing clothes; more than usual in fact. She had on one of her long sleeve, grey skivvies _and_ one of her baggy black shirts over the top of that. Though the front of the shirt wasn't buttoned up, leaving it hanging open like a jacket; the edges of the darker material seeming to highlight the course his mouth was taking in that infernal image…

"I got something on my shirt?" Taus' question shook him out of his reverie, a note of concern in her voice for his unusual expression. He didn't seem to realise the very tip of his tongue was poking out the corner of his lips.   
"Huh? Uh, nuh! It's nothin'… yeah, nuthin'" he trailed off before flashing an ingratiating grin. Tau didn't look too convinced, eyeing him dubiously until she got distracted by Mike giggling as he took his seat on the opposite side of the table.

"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously, her gaze flicking between the brothers. Raph grimaced; at a muffled 'thump' from under the table Mike bent low over his plate, his mirth switching to a whispered monologue of "Ow ow ow!"   
"Nothing." stated Raph definitively, his tone making it clear it was the end of the matter. Quirking an eyebrow, Tau mouthed 'O-kaaay', deciding it was best not to pursue an explanation, and reached for a sandwich instead.

Glancing around the table, she was relieved to see Donnie seemed pretty much back to his old self again. Once the meal was finished he even stood with a grin to announce;   
"Well, now seems as good a time as any for the annual family portrait. Should I go fetch the equipment?" As the rest of the group agreed, he dashed upstairs, returning a few minutes later with a small digital camera and a large tripod.

With the fireplace and Christmas Tree in the background, Don directed his brothers into a line that spanned the view visible through the camera; Leo on the left, a gap for himself, then Raph and Mike on the right.   
"Alright, you guys stay where you are. If everyone else just stands either in front or behind we should be set!" he invited. Splinter moved to stand roughly in the centre, in front of his boys, whilst April and Casey slipped into place, passing behind Leo to stand just to the left of centre.

"Which button should I press?" asked Tau softly, peering past Dons' shoulder. He gave her an incredulous look.   
"It's not a problem, it has a timer. You should get over there." he tipped his head toward his family. With a sheepish little grin she stepped away, and Don turned his attention back to the camera.

"OK, we've got ten seconds before it goes off!" he instructed loudly, quickly heading over to take his place.   
"C'mon Tau!" Mike waved her over as she remained stood by the couch. She shook her head.   
"No, it's a family portrait. I'm just a friend; it should just be for you guys…"

Mike and Raph shared a brief glance.   
"C'mere!" ordered Raph as quick-as-a-flash they both reached out to grab her, catching her before she had a chance to move, pulling her bodily into place. Since the two turtles tried to step back to their original spots to keep within the shot, there wasn't much room between them, and Tau found herself basically stood side-on in front of them, her right arm wedged between theirs. Raph had a strong grip on her trapped hand, and didn't seem inclined to let it go, so she just managed to turn to face the camera a little better and plaster a smile on her face before the flash went off.

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A/N: For those of you wondering what 'Nutella' is, it is a hazelnut based spread that originated in Italy. If you've ever had a 'Ferrero Rocher' Nutella is the gooey chocolaty stuff inside the outer crust in these sweets (they are both made by the same company). If not, I'll post a link to some info on it on my forum at SS, if only to help ya hunt it down to try some! Seriously, it's absolutely delicious.

Nutella is very popular here in Oz. Whilst it's not cheap, it isn't as expensive as proper 'edible body paint' and it is available in any supermarket here. Anywho, I didn't realise it wasn't widely available in the US (Beta to the rescue! Thanks chica.), but after having a dig about on-line, I couldn't find a US equivalent. So I've stuck with my original assumption that Nutella is as readily available in the US as it is here in Oz. If anyone does have any suggestions for a replacement that Mike could get his hands on easily please send 'em my way. I know it ultimately doesn't matter, but I do strive to base this series as much in 'the real world' as possible.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Wheee! Reviews! Can't tell ya how happy I am to be getting 'em! Nice to hear cold, harsh reality is easing off a bit for some of ya and letting you have some time in the world of fan fics again. Thank you so very muchly to minlee1, artykidd and The REAL Cheese Monkey for the reviews for last chapter. I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying this tale. Hoping you like this chapter… -cheeky grin-.

Thank you too, to TheIncredibleDancingBetty for all the reviews for earlier chapters. Hope you get a chance to catch up soon chica. I'm keen to know what you think of this fic.

And before we start; can we have a round of applause for my betas please? CPQ and artykidd; they both contribute so much to this series. Catching flubs, supplying bunnies, vetting ideas… it's all good! And most appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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It was late, and Tau was enjoying the tranquillity of sitting alone on the rickety, wooden porch swing; watching the gentle fall of snow in the light spilling from the living room windows. Her face was the only part of her exposed to the chill of the night, just. She had her thick, woollen duffle coat on over her shirt and skivvy, her hands buried deep in its pockets and the hood drawn close over her head. As per usual, she had on her jeans and boots, but was grateful the jacket also covered her thighs, and that she had decided to pack her long football socks, having them pulled up to her knees under the denim.

After the fiasco with the portrait, everyone had set out on a tour of the farm to build their appetites for dinner. Casey was obviously quite proud to show off his Grandmothers' property; though Tau had been surprised at the way April had prodded her for her opinion of the place, and she had tried to keep her appraisal of the ramshackle estate up-beat. The walk was cut short however, as the snow began in earnest. It hadn't let up for the rest of the day, and everyone had settled down for a quiet afternoon of board-games to pass the time until dinner. Well, as quiet as having five fairly hyper guys trapped in a relatively small room together can get.

Tau pulled her hand out of her pocket to stifle a little burp. Dinner had been over two hours ago now, and she still felt absolutely stuffed. Not that she regretted it - it had been a darn tasty turkey - but she was starting to think the second serving of Christmas cake hadn't been the wisest idea. She hadn't wanted Mike to cut into it to start off with; the little scene of a snowman and Christmas tree he'd sculpted out of the thick layer of icing on the top of it looked way too cute to eat. Once it had been sliced through, she'd figured the best homage she could give it would be to enjoy it; so she had, very much so!

As soon as the meal was over Splinter had invited everyone to play a game with his new poker set. Tau had thought it odd someone would give the Sensei such a gift; he didn't really seem to be the gambling type to her. After a few hands though, she found herself resolving to _never_ play with him for real money. She hadn't played card games much before, so she didn't take it too hard when she lost her stack of chips before anyone else. Instead she took the opportunity to take a little time for herself; to enjoy the novelty of watching the snow fall, and mull over the days' events. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Leos' earlier comment in the kitchen, and the way it had made her react, had given her plenty of food for thought.

The creak of the front door opening distracted her from her musings.   
"Hey." said Raph casually, walking by in front of her to lean on his forearms on the porch railing, looking out into the silent storm himself.   
"Hey!" she smiled back "Didn't think you'd be out of the game this soon!"   
"Nyeh." he shrugged "Never try to bluff against a rat."

He turned around to face her as she sniggered lightly,   
"You ok?"   
"Yeah." she replied breezily "Why?" She shuffled over to the left, to give him room to sit. It meant she was closer to the darkened kitchen window, but could continue to watch the drifting snow flakes past his profile as he accepted her tacit invitation.   
"I was wonderin' why you came out here. You're not upset or anythin'?" he asked cautiously.   
"About what?" she countered, genuinely baffled.   
"I dunno, thought you might be missing your folks."

Taus' smile dissolved and she chewed her bottom lip for a moment before she answered,   
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't…but I have enjoyed spending Christmas here. Besides, I know they wouldn't want me to keep getting so mopey every time I try to celebrate something without them. I think Grandad would have really loved this though. He always complained that sitting around a swimming pool barbequing shrimp was no way to spend Christmas." she gave a little laugh "He used to put on a 'traditional' Christmas dinner every year when I was a kid; until Mum banned him from using the oven 'cos it made the house too hot!"

He joined in with her chuckle for a moment,   
"Man, I can't imagine a 'hot' Christmas!"   
"Heh, this is my first 'cold' one since I was a _really_ little kid; so I can't remember them too well. You probably find it boring, but I just love watching the snow. It's so serene and beautiful; makes it kinda hard to get too down about anything."

Raph watched her as she studied the drift of the flakes that danced in the light from the windows for a moment; happy to see the little smile of wonder that played on her lips, noticing as she gave a little shiver.   
"I wouldn't call it 'boring'." he assured softly. "Pity it's so damn cold though, huh?" She grinned, nodding in agreement.   
"Here." he invited, resting his arm along the back of the seat. The briefest thought flickered through her mind that accepting his offer might not be the smartest move. But she quashed it, reasoning she was too cold to care, and leaned into his embrace, resting her head against the thick material of his long-coat on his shoulder.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the peace and warmth of each others' company. Feeling drowsy and content, Tau stifled a yawn and then snuggled her cheek back against him.   
"Thank you." she murmured.   
"For what?" he asked quietly.   
"For being a great friend."   
"Your welcome." he assured levelly, after a little pause. He tipped his head back to stretch his neck, and to make sure she wouldn't catch him out, rolling his eyes in resigned frustration.

As his vision regained its focus, something hanging from the porch roof above them caught his attention. He suddenly wondered if he were the victim of some conspiracy to drive him completely mental.   
"Augh, _damn it_ Mike!" he cursed under his breath, Tau perked her head slightly at his irate tone.   
"What's up?" she followed the direction of his gaze to the roof "Oh! Well…, that's nothing to get upset about is it? It's just a silly tradition; it doesn't really mean anything, or matter whether or not you do it." she said lightly.

"I suppose not." he concurred dismissively "I reckon millions of morons must buy into that crap, and most of 'em end up just kissin' complete strangers or friends anyway." he hadn't given his response much thought, but he felt suddenly nervous as he realised the implications of what he'd just said. "So, ah, it can't really mean…that much, really, huh?" he continued, he hoped nonchalantly.

Tau considered a moment, unconsciously taking the opportunity to let her eyes roam over the side of his face, the muscles of his neck, since he seemed intent on continuing to study the wooden beams above them.   
"That's true. It's just a bit of a lark really…, um, between friends." she murmured, giving an awkward little shrug as he turned his head toward her, neither quite meeting the eyes of the other.   
"Yeah." he agreed softly.   
"Doesn't mean a thing." she whispered.   
"Not a damn thing." he breathed, just before their lips met.

Raph was at a loss how such delicate contact could make him feel so tense and breathless, not that he bothered to ponder that as he closed his eyes and gave himself over to enjoying the way the feather-touch lingered. Just as it seemed inevitable their kiss was about to end, he quickly followed her lead as she reapplied the pressure with slightly parted lips. He instinctively pulled her a little closer with his arm about her shoulders; hesitantly brought his other hand to cup her cheek. Then, realising she was gripping the front of his coat, he boldly tangled his fingers in her hair to draw her deeper into the kiss, a delicious shock running through him as the tips of their tongues inadvertently touched.

'Creak, _bang_!' The sound of someone barging roughly through the door made them jump, both hugely relieved that Don didn't seem to notice they were even sitting there as he quickly stalked to the far end of the porch to lean out over the railing; a few stray snow flakes settling on the back of his baggy green woollen jumper. By reflex, Tau tried to sit up straighter as Leo stepped out of the door, but Raph kept his arms tight about her in defiance of the stunned look on brothers' face as he caught sight of them. Overcoming her first jolt of nerves, Tau quickly made a show of snuggling back into their embrace, enjoying the glint of ire Leo shot them before he decided Don was a higher priority at the moment.

Clearing his throat to ensure his brother was well aware of his approach, Leo reached out a hand to rest lightly on Dons' shoulder. They stood like that, in a silent tableau, for a long moment.   
"I'm sorry Leo. It's just been a long day…" Don finally murmured.   
"I know this isn't easy for you, Don. But you seemed to be handling it well since this morning, what happened?" probed Leo gently.

Don answered with a quick shake of his head, still Leo waited patiently for him to speak.   
"There's no-way I could give her everything she deserves, I know that. But sometimes I just don't get what she sees in him. He couldn't even carry her up the stairs without knocking her feet into the wall! I like Casey, but he's such a…an _oaf_!"   
"I don't think he hurt her, she laughed it off pretty easily." Leo tried to assure, Don responding with a "Hmpf". He followed it up with an "Ack!" as he lifted his head to say something else, noticing the two on the swing for the first time; Raph scowling slightly as Tau whispered something to him, finger to her lips.

"Oh, great! Thanks for telling me Leo!" Don gestured towards the couple in annoyance "Now Raph knows too!"   
"It was meant to be some great secret?" retorted Raph sarcastically, cutting off Leos' response. "I thought you'd gotten over her ages ago! Ya know, Case might not be all that smart, or 'cultured', or any kinda crap like that, but he'd die before he let anything hurt Ape. She's made her choice. You shoulda taken your chance when you had it, rather than bitching about Case now."   
"_Raphael…!_"   
"No, it's ok Leo. He's right, it's not Caseys' fault." Don despondently interceded.

Tau felt compelled to break the awkward quiet that fell,   
"It isn't anyone's 'fault', Don. Sometimes things just don't work-out like we want them to. I do think you should talk to her about it..."   
"No! I can't do that! Not...now…" his shoulders slumped, looking to the floorboards, wrapping his arms about himself for comfort and warmth.

Before anyone else could speak, the front door opened again.   
"Hey guys!" chimed Mike as he stepped outside. "What ya'll doin' out here in the co…? Hey, hey, hey!" he grinned massively as he caught sight of the couple cuddling on the swing "Now _that's_ one way to stay warm!"   
"Shove it Mikey." grunted Raph as he and Tau quickly untangled themselves.   
"Oh, and lookie at that!" enthused Mike, completely unperturbed as he pointed to the roof above the swing. "Aint that just the thing? You gotta kiss 'er now, bro!"

Catching sight of what his brother was pointing at, Leo snapped,   
"Michelangelo! Didn't I say '_no_ mistletoe'?"   
"It wasn't _me_!" Mike put on his best 'persecuted innocent' look. "Why do you always blame _me_ first? It could've been anyone! Maybe Casey hung it up, or Raphie, or Santa…"   
"Mike." Leo interrupted the tirade with a dark warning tone. "I don't care who hung it, no-one is kissing anybody!"   
"Awww, but they gotta!" whined Mike "At least on the cheek!" Given the way Tau mirrored his guilty little look, Raph guessed that option hadn't occurred to her either.

"You shouldn't be encouraging them to be stupid like this. This nonsense has gone too far as it is!" scolded Leo.   
"Oh c'mon, it's fine for 'friends' to kiss on the cheek! _You_ kissed Ape twice today yourself!" Mike cajoled.   
"_That_ is different; April and I would never push to be anything more…"

Tau leapt to her feet, her arms and clenched fists tense by her sides.   
"Why the hell do you all assume we're desperately trying to become more than just friends? Huh? Living in the gutter doesn't mean your minds have gotta dwell there too! We _are friends_; end of story. But sometimes I do wish things _were_ a little '_different_'," she derided "'cos I would _so_ love to prove you wrong, Leo!" She glared at him for a moment longer, though Leo was more taken aback by her expression of shock at her own outburst then by her anger. Then, with a little huff, she turned her nose in the air, stepped through the door and closed it behind her with a quiet but definite 'clack'.

"Whoa." drawled Mike "What was all that about? 'Prove you wrong' about what, bro?"   
"I…I'm not sure…" hedged Leo, but from the quirky little half-smile on Dons' face, he feared that his gut-instinct was on the right track in warning him she was referring to their earlier argument. Raph had no idea what she was going on about either, but he couldn't stop the sly little grin that was invading his face. Despite her insisting their relationship was purely platonic, _again_; Mike had pointed out a nice little loop-hole he fully intended to take advantage of. There was something else that niggled in the back of his mind, whispering things were looking up, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was only a certain satisfaction at having someone else willing stand up to his over-bearing brother for once.

An unusual contemplative quiet fell on the brothers for a moment, until Splinter poked his muzzle out of the door.   
"My sons, what are you all doing out here in the cold? Come in this instant before you catch a chill." he fussed in parental concern, shaking his head as they filed past him to mutter to himself "Kids! Can't leave them alone for a moment…"

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For three days it had snowed relentlessly. The fall itself wasn't particularly heavy, but the dawn after Christmas Day had brought with it a bitter, merciless wind that seemed to cut through the thickest fabric, finding the smallest gaps to drive ice into the breach. It had made even the porch a no-go area unless there was a need to go out.

The daily training sessions still took place, restricted in their scope in deference to trying to ensure the survival of some of the furniture and ornaments in the house. The rest of the time for the first two days was passed with board and parlour games, until Mike had threaded a heap of Cheezels on a string to make himself a wreath he placed on his head; proclaiming himself the 'King of Parcheesi' since no matter who he was teamed with _he_ always won. A short scuffle later and Raph had bemoaned their lack of a TV around a mouthful of the cheesy snacks bitten off the string, from his seat upon his flattened brothers' shell.

Never one to be daunted by the fact they didn't have access to the 'standard' technology, and glad for an excuse to escape the house by himself for a little while, Don had braved the storm to dash out to the barn where the Battle-shell was sheltered. Returning with the largest of the monitors from the vans' in-built tracking system, it hadn't taken him too long to rig it up with Aprils' lap-top computer. The screen was propped up on a dining chair, cables running down to the computer sitting tucked underneath on the floor, at the far end of the living room rug from the fire place.

By dinner on the third day they had watched the small collection of DVDs that had been gifted for Christmas, including Aprils' 'soppy chic flick'. 'Brother Bear' twice! The debate over how to kill time next had gotten heated as everyone pitched in to clean up the dishes and kitchen, no-one really noticing Mike had snuck away until he re-appeared in the doorway with a smug grin on his face and holding up a small box that stopped all argument dead.

"Why on earth did you bring 'Lord of the Rings', Mikey?" asked Leo in astonishment, with a huge smile.   
"Well, I figured there'd be at least one lap top here, and I still haven't seen all the extras yet! Was gonna borrow a 'puter to watch 'em myself on a night, but I figure I may as well let you all watch 'em too, given the circumstances."   
"Mikey, you _are_ the turtle!" praised Raph, wrapping an arm around his brothers' shoulders.   
"So, you gonna apologise for callin' me a jackass for packing so much stuff?" prodded Mike.   
"Nope!" Raph grinned, pulling Mikes' head down to give him a friendly noogie.

A few minutes later everyone was getting organised for a long night in front of the makeshift TV. Blankets and pillows were being fetched and rivalries over the best spots to sit were being mediated by Splinter. Tau wandered through the melee taking orders for hot drinks.   
"Do you want a hand making them?" offered April.   
"Oh no, I'll be fine. Don't get up." assured the girl lightly, quickly stepping away to the kitchen. She was actually hoping the errand would give her a chance for a little bit of time to herself.

As much as she liked all her friends, and was happy to be getting a break from the Lair, she had to admit she was starting to miss the personal-space the mutants' home provided. Here she barely got a chance to be alone, except in her room at night; and that wasn't always particularly restful. She felt she needed to talk to Raph, in private, but the opportunity had never presented itself; and she still wasn't sure what she would say to him anyway, if it did.

Just as Tau was about to place the last mug on the counter a low "Hey." by her ear made her jump, silently cursing the fact she was so pre-occupied with her thoughts he'd been able to sneak up on her in an open, well-lit room. She placed the cup down with definite care, trying to salvage some dignity, before she trusted herself to answer lightly.   
"He-ay!" her greeting turning to a protest as she realised she was trapped as he leant on the counter, an arm to either side of her, and felt his lips warm on her cheek. "What do ya think you're doing?" she flustered, tilting her head away slightly.   
"Bein' friendly." Raph explained casually, taking advantage of her exposed neck to press a quick kiss there as well.   
"A little too 'friendly', I think!" she admonished, lightly swatting his beak away.   
"I thought we established the other night…" he murmured, back in her ear.   
"We agreed that didn't mean a thing!" she stressed, Raph continuing completely unfazed,   
"…that it was ok for friends to kiss on the cheek?"

He grinned as she froze, enjoying the little flush that crept up her face at her faux par. Deciding to risk it, he ducked his head to her neck again, gently gripping the sensitive flesh just below her ear in his teeth. He was careful not to use too much pressure, knowing full well any marks on her skin would show up a heck of a lot more clearly than they did on his own. Still, he had to force himself to release her, hearing her gasp in something that wasn't entirely shock.

They stood stock still for a moment, until Tau made him take a half-step back as she turned about to place her hands lightly against his shoulders.   
"Don't do that." she said softly.   
"But you…"   
"And I apologised for stepping over that line." she suppressed his argument levelly. Raph grimaced in frustration.   
"Yeah? Well, that 'line' seems to be getting a bit grey an' fuzzy to me lately." He pointed out sarcastically, surprised to see hurt flicker in her eyes before she dropped her head.   
"I know." she admitted sadly "I haven't been very fair to you, and I… I'm sorry for that. If…if things weren't so 'complicated'…"

"Hey guys, need a hand with…?" asked Mike breezily as he stepped through the door. Taking note of the way they were stood, the evil glare from his brother and the forlorn look from Tau, he continued without pause to turn on his heel.   
"Nope." he answered his own question before he disappeared back into the main room, pulling the door closed again behind himself.

Raph rolled his eyes as Tau gave a little sigh.   
"I'm gonna thump him one of these days…" he grumbled under his breath.   
"He's not to blame." she murmured in reply, continuing after he grunted what she took to be his agreement "I'd better get these drinks done before anyone else decides to check up on us." He grasped her arm to pull her back around to face him, Tau despairing at the silent question in his eyes to shake her head. "We're _friends_, Raph."

She had just turned half-back towards the mugs when he pulled her close with the grip he still had on her to press a surprisingly gentle kiss to her cheek. The feel of his warm breath as he waited cheek to cheek for her response sent a shiver down her spine. Ignoring the screams of her better judgement she softly kissed his cheek in reply, breaking the contact to stipulate in a whisper;   
"Friends only kiss on the _cheek_." With a begrudging nod he let her go to return to her task, feeling not at all satisfied with the ground he'd gained; but relieved they weren't caught in a compromising position as Leo stalked into the kitchen a moment later.

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The only light in the room came from the flickering of the fire, and the glow from the monitor as the end credits for 'Fellowship of the Ring' scrolled up the screen. Siting up to give a huge stretch, limbering up his muscles after lying on the rug for the duration of the movie, Mike announced;   
"I think I'm in luuuv. Is Arwen hot or what?"   
"Duh!" derided Raph "'course she is, she's the only chick in the film!"   
"That's not actually an accurate statement…" put in Don.   
"Goh! OK. She's the only _major_ chick in the film, happy now?" offered Raph sarcastically.   
"Better." nodded Don with a grin "Though you do make the salient point that she is the focus for female characterisation in that chapter of the story."

"Huh?" Mike eyed his brainy brother dubiously "You mean the girls get more eye-candy, don'tcha?"   
"Well, no. I mean…" seeing his siblings' eyes glazing over already Don gave up "Ugh, I suppose that's _one_ interpretation." Mike perked upright with a huge self-indulgent grin.   
"Yeah, I'm right! So the important question now is, given they have some sorta choice; who _do_ the girls like more?"

"Well duh!" April tried to imitate Raphs' earlier response, though hers' wasn't as harsh in tone. "Aragorn of course. He's been one of my Hero's since I first read the books as a kid! And Viggo does a _very_ nice job of bringing him to the big screen."   
"How 'bout you Tau?" Mike immediately turned to continue his poll. She shrugged from where she was curled under a blanket in one of the armchairs.   
"I gotta go Aragorn too. I do like Orlando Bloom, but I prefer him in the 'Pirate' movies. He's just too clean cut in this really."   
"Yeah." agreed April, sitting up from where she had been lying against Casey on the couch. "And he gets to do a bit more sword-play in those films; there is something about a guy wielding a blade that makes him especially hot, hey?"

With a laugh Tau nodded.   
"Yep! Especially when they have that 'unkempt' look about em! Dunno if it's just me, but Aragorn doesn't seem half as good lookin' when he's all cleaned up for his coronation at the end of this." she waved her hand towards the screen.   
"That's true!" exclaimed April "I do like a guy with an unruly mop of hair." she added warmly, tousling Caseys' hair to wake him up.   
"Wazis… huh? The movie finished already?" he yawned.   
"Yes, you big lug. Time for bed." smiled April, standing to pull him up off the couch and bid goodnight to everyone before she led him stumbling up the stairs.

Mike stood to lean on his hands against the arm of Taus' chair.   
"What's up?" she asked, seeing the look of puzzlement on his face.   
"Hair isn't _that_ important… is it? For a girl to like ya, I mean."   
"You just heard both of them say it _was_, Mikey." commented Leo, unique among his brothers in that he hadn't instantly perked his head to hear her answer.

With a little scowl for the interruption, Tau said;   
"Well, _no_, actually. There are a few guys I can think of that don't have heaps of hair but are still considered good looking. Sean Connery has never had 'flowing locks', that I can remember, and he's considered by many to be the quintessential 'ladies man'."   
"Who else?" prompted Mike, Tausha unable to resist his earnest puppy dog eyes.   
"Um, there's Patrick Stewart, Yul Brynner…" it seemed a little flame of hope started to flicker behind the orange bandanna.   
"And…?"   
"Oh, Vin Diesel! He's completely bald and _very_ hot! 'specially as 'Riddick'."   
"Hmpf, he's a try-hard loser!" was grumbled from where Raph was still sat on the rug.

Propping his chin on his hand as he bent over the chair arm, fascinated with his conversation with the girl, Mike ignored his brother.   
"So, you're saying bald guys can be…sexy?"   
"Uh, yeah?" she answered cautiously, suddenly wondering where this was going.   
"Cooooool!" he grinned as Leo 'tsked' from the armchair beside them. "Soooooo, now, is it only bladed weapons that make a guy look hot? Or does a couple of small lengths of hard wood and chain, deftly wielded to crush evil enemies into oblivion, do it for ya too?" he asked cheekily, quickly followed up with an "OW!" as he received a punch to the back of his leg.

With a resigned sigh Leo dispassionately watched his brother hop about the room. Figuring Mike had probably been punished enough for his insolence he decided to fore-go his lecture, asking instead;   
"All those in favour of starting the next movie?"   
"Aye!" was returned from the majority, Mike abstaining as he flopped down on the couch to nurse his aching calf. In the back corner of the room, apparently dozing in the rocking chair, and sure his son was complaining a little too dramatically for his hurt to be serious, Splinter struggled to stop the little smile from tugging on his lips.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you most muchly to artykidd, minlee1, RAPHAELFAN02 and The REAL Cheese Monkey for the reviews for last chapter. It always makes my day to get 'em!

Many thanks go out to artykidd and CPQ for their great work beta-reading this. Thanks chicas!

OK! Hope you're all pumped and ready for some exercise, 'cos today were playin' 'Turtle Tag'! Just so you're all up to date on the rules, the main one is 'duck an' run'! LOL! Seriously though, it's kinda like an alternate version of normal 'tag' or 'chasey'. Only in Turtle Tag, instead of one person trying to catch everyone else, everyone tries to catch just one person, who is called the 'Tagee'. The Tagee gets a head start and has to hide or otherwise evade capture for as long as they possibly can. In the version of the game being played in this chapter, the Tagee not only has to evade their opponents, the others are also split into teams competing to catch 'em! So it's time for some kick-butt ninja play! Hope you enjoy it.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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The fourth day after Christmas dawned calm and bright. Tau was captivated by the way the rose coloured light reflected off the surrounding pristine snow, as she gazed out through her second-story bedroom window. The tranquillity of the scene shattered as Casey and the turtles noisily burst out of the front door to romp through the knee-high drifts.

Within a matter of minutes the area in front of the house, that had been sculpted a smooth white by the wind over the previous days, was a frozen choppy sea of deep tracks, lined with slush and mud. With a sigh, that couldn't suppress her grin, Tau decided to head out to join them, quickly pulling on a few layers of her warmest clothes.

Heading out the front door, she found Splinter and April watching the boys' antics from the porch.   
"G'da-AY!" she yelled the end of her greeting as she just managed to duck a stray snowball.   
"Sorry!" laughed Don, before he dashed away from an impending assault from Mike.   
"Hmm." smiled the Sensei, as April flashed the girl a grin in greeting. "Good morning Tausha. It seems we will have a day to enjoy outside before we return to the city."   
"Yeah! This is gonna be fun!"

She was stopped from jogging down the stairs by a gentle paw on her arm.   
"You may wish to wait until my sons have worn themselves out a little." he advised. Tau shook her head with a grin.   
"Nah! This is gonna be worth a few bruises! But thanks!" she assured before leaping down into the snow to scoop up a handful, already scoping for a target.   
"Hey! Tau! Over here!" Mike frantically waved her over.   
"Just remember to be gentle with her guys!" warned Leo.   
"Why?" retorted Tau. "I'm not gonna take it easy on _you_!" she emphasised by hurling her ammunition at the streak of green and blue. Leo easily ducked it, quickly popping back up to retaliate.   
"That's it!" he grinned evilly. "You are so gonna get it now!"

Splinter and April watched in resigned amusement as Tau raced away laughing, giving a little scream every time another snowball hit her square in the back of her head. Her run was stopped short by a tackle-glomp from Mike, as he dragged her into the trench in the snow he was now defending.   
"Oh well, you did warn her." giggled April.   
"Yes." sighed Splinter. "I should not worry so; Tausha does seem to hold her own reasonably well. I am only concerned that, after being confined in the house for so long, such exuberance may result in someone…"   
"ARRRGH!"   
"…getting hurt." he finished, dead-pan, before he was moving quickly towards the source of the cry.

The whole group had gathered by the time Casey had pulled Raph back out of the dead bush the snow had hidden, leaving behind a few scraps of material and skin on the broken branches.   
"Heh, sorry!" laughed Casey uncertainly. "I thought you'da dodged that easy! What got ya so distracted all of a sudden?" Raph answered him with nothing more than a dark look before reaching to feel for the damage done.   
"Aww, shit!" he moaned, fingering the tear in the fabric of his trench-coat down the back of his left arm, less concerned about the blood he could feel on his fingertips.   
"Language." Splinter cautioned lightly, even as he turned his son about to inspect the wound for himself.

"It is not serious." diagnosed Splinter after a moment. "However, the wood was rotten through. There are many fragments caught under the skin that will have to be removed."   
"What about my coat?" enquired Raph fretfully.   
"That is of no consequence." dismissed his father.   
"But it's my favourite…"   
"Raphael, _your_ well-being comes before that of your clothes." admonished Splinter, shaking his head as his son turned his scowl to his sibling, roughly shoving Mike and his giggles away, forcing some of the others that had crowded around to step back momentarily.

"I can patch your coat for you, if you'd like." offered April, from the back of the crowd.   
"Yeah?" perked the hot-head.   
"Your wound needs 'patching' as well." reminded Splinter.   
"Nah. It c'n wait, I don't wanna head inside yet, I _need_ a practice session." entreated Raph, he was already pulling off his coat to hand it to April. Not surprisingly Splinter was immune to the ingratiating look his son attempted; he'd had to say 'No' to much more heart-wrenching gazes than that many a time before. Still, he did not want this situation to escalate, and it was true that all his sons required a hard training session to work off their excess energy. Giving the tuft of fur on his chin a thoughtful tug, he came up with a solution.

"Have your injury tended to first. It is not so bad you cannot join us again as soon as it has been cleaned and dressed." he instructed.   
"But…" Paying no mind to his sons' objection, Splinter continued levelly.   
"I am sure the girls will be happy to assist, so you can return quickly. April-chan? Could you repair the coat this morning?"   
"Not a problem, Splinter." assured April. "I can get it done while Tau helps clean him up, shouldn't take long at all! Come along now, Raph. The sooner we get you inside, the quicker you can come back out." she fussed motherly. The turtle opened his mouth to argue, however seeing the determined glint in his fathers' eye, he thought better of it; following April and Tau to the house with only a light grumble under his voice.

Once inside, April headed straight to the laundry, sure she had seen an old, ripped windbreaker jacket left in there she could use to make a patch. The colour wouldn't match, but it would do until she could make a better repair back in the city. The bathroom led off the laundry, and she couldn't help but grin at what she could hear from in there as she searched for the material and supplies to do her work.   
"Nngh. Arrgh. Ow!"   
"Sorry!"   
"You're meant to be pullin' out the wood, not bits of me!" exclaimed Raph.   
"You wanna do this yourself?" asked Tau irately, to be answered by silence. April could just picture the way Raph would roll his eyes at that. "Well then, stop bein' a wuss."   
"I am _not_ a 'wuss'!" obviously spoken from between clenched teeth.   
"Prove it." April guessed he took the girls challenge as the quiet of the next few minutes was broken only by the occasional hiss of a sharp intake of breath.

Having found what she was looking for, April set about repairing Raphs' coat; using the ironing board as a flat surface to work on.   
"There, think that's got 'em all. That wasn't so bad now, was it?" came from the bathroom.   
"Just promise me one thing. I know ya wanna work with animals, but don't become a vet." beseeched Raph sardonically. Tau gave a little 'hmpf' and then warned with a slightly mischievous note in her voice;   
"Alright. But this _is_ gonna hurt."   
"No! Not 'Betadine'! AAH…!" April figured Raph had bitten down on the rest of his cry.   
"Heh, sorry, but it had to be done." lilted Tau, not sounding particularly regretful, her voice warming as she continued "And you're not a wuss."

April heard Raph grunt dismissively, starting to hum to herself as she worked over the light clatter from the bathroom, from what she guessed was Tau sorting through the medical supplies.   
"You wanna ride back to New York with me?" he asked softly.   
"Huh?" Tau sounded a little confused by the sudden change in the conversation, and April felt much the same. "Sure, why wouldn't I?" the girl continued.   
"I dunno. Leos' saying he might come with me instead, since the roads will probably be iced over…"   
"Do you _want_ me to come with you?" Taus' tone was a little cautious.   
"Let me see…bro or babe? What d'ya reckon?" he retorted sarcastically, quickly followed with a whispered "Ow!"

"Sit still, will ya? Or I'll end up getting the bandage too tight." admonished Tau, her voice softening again to continue their previous conversation. "It's up to you really. But, you know, I don't weigh as much as Leo, so you could argue you'd get a bit of a fuel saving taking me…" she pointed out casually.   
"Hey, yeah!" he agreed enthusiastically. "That'll shut 'im up! Wouldn't want to waste money that could go to feedin' us, or savin' for…" he petered out into silence for a few moments.

"It's not really a bad patch job you've done there." he spoke again, softly now. "And I shoulda told ya sooner, but I reckon you did a good job at the park too… ya know, with riding that horse? That _was_ a pretty awesome ride, nearly as good as my bike… Heeeeey…, that was nice! What did my cheek do to deserve that?"   
"Thank you. You _are_ a good friend after all." Tau assured warmly. Raph replied with a low chuckle.

April finished humming her ditty as she completed her task. Holding the coat up to appraise her handy-work, she had to admit it wasn't the prettiest piece of needlework she had ever done, but it would suffice. Cocking her head, she suddenly wondered if Raph and Tau were still there; realising she hadn't heard so much as a murmur from the bathroom for a good few minutes. Surely they wouldn't sneak-out without saying anything to her at all.

Poking her head through the bathroom door, April was relieved to find them both still sat there, perched side-by-side on the edge of the bathtub. She got the impression, from the crooked little smile on Taus' face, that Raph was whispering a dirty joke or the like in the girls' ear, where his face was hidden behind hers. The image was only fleeting however, as Tau leapt up an instant later to fuss about tidying away the first-aid kit, the contents of which were still scattered on the counter-top.

"Here we go, all fixed up for you." grinned April, holding up the coat for Raphs' appraisal. He barely gave it a glance before taking it and pulling it on.   
"Yeah, thanks April." he mumbled distractedly. Having expected a bit more enthusiastic response, given Raphs' earlier concern over the damage to the sleeve, April glanced between the two; the thought that she might be missing something here crossing her mind briefly. She dismissed the notion as he reached to grab Taushas' hand as soon as she had finished putting away the kit, practically yanking her off her feet.   
"C'mon!" he urged "I don't wanna miss-out on anymore time outside than I have to today!"

April chuckled as the poor girl was all but dragged past her, figuring Raph was just too keen to work-off his pent-up energy to realise what he was doing to his friend, or to be overly considerate with his gratitude. However, Tau quickly found her feet to keep up with him, both racing out of the front door. She followed them out, wondering if she should join the lesson for today as well. Since moving in with Casey she had let her training under Master Splinter slide quite a bit, probably too much.

Taking her place at the end of the line, easily falling into the steps of the warm-up kata the others were already doing, April wondered how they had managed to clear a large rectangle of snow away from in front of the house. She spotted a small snow-plough integrated into the front of the Battle-shell, obviously a recent addition to the trucks many apparatus. April couldn't help but shake her head in admiration of her genius friends' ability to incorporate goodness knows how many gadgets and such into one vehicle.

It seemed Splinter was determined to make the most of the extra space and the terrain, including laps of the house and barn into their exercise; which the boys quickly turned into a competition to see who could make the fastest time, adding more and more obstacles and requirements. A leap-kick here, roll there, a punch to the back wall of the barn... As the rest enjoyed the ongoing races, the Sensei took the opportunity to work one-on-one with each of his students.

Being the last to get her individual session with Splinter, April felt absolutely exhausted by the time her short work-out with him was over. She grinned up sheepishly from where she was leaning on her knees to regain her breath, feeling the Masters' paw on her shoulder.   
"You have done well April-chan." he assured warmly. She shook her head in denial. She knew she was fit, she could run rings around any of her workmates, without a doubt. And she'd always prided herself on being able to keep up with the turtles, for a little while at least. She didn't think too many others would be able to that. Though seeing Tau was still going strong -racing past in a hopeless attempt to catch up to Mike, both grinning all the way- April did feel a small twinge of despair.

"Tausha is six years your junior, and has trained with us daily for most of the past four months. Do not be disillusioned by her seeming vigour, she too is starting to tire." advised the sage rat.   
"I swear you can read minds…" chuckled April.   
"No." smiled Splinter "However, it would be a gift I could appreciate having at times!" With that he raised his paw in the air, fingers out-stretched before he made them into a fist. Within moments all his students had gathered to him as per his silent order. Looking over them, noting all his sons still had the glint of exuberance in their eyes, the Sensei confirmed his plan in his own mind.

"In place of our usual sparring session, I wish to take this opportunity to undertake some war games. I would like one volunteer to be the first 'Tagee'; the rest will split into two teams of two. The first team to capture and return the Tagee to the porch will win the right to decide the teams for the next round. The Tagee who lasts the longest for the day will be exempt from chores for one week. The only rule is; no weapons." instructed Splinter.   
"Aww." moaned Raph lightly, despite pulling his sai out of his belt anyway.   
"ME! ME! I wanna be the Tagee! Pick MEEee! Pleeeease!" Mike danced on his toes with is arm in the air, giving a "Whoop!" as Splinter nodded his approval.   
"Just one question, Master." put in Don quietly as he laid his bo on the porch. "If only five are playing, who's sitting out?"

"In the first round Donatello, you will join Raphael, and Leonardo will be with Casey." instructed Splinter, turning to address the gasp of indignation he had expected from the girl. "My apologies Tausha, I fear your inclusion in these exercises would bring to them an element of restraint from my sons, which may ultimately prove to be counter-productive. Especially given the more restraint they use, the longer it will it take them to wear themselves out." he added with a warm, knowing grin.   
"Aw! But, I wanna join in! I don't want 'em to go easy on me. I c'n take it!" she petitioned.   
"No." was Splinters' level reply. Sensing there was no room for argument Tau acquiesced with a small bow, unable to mask the disappointment on her face. Smiling again, Splinter re-assured her;   
"I don't doubt your skill, and you are continuing to improve. Once my sons have had a good opportunity to utilise their abilities to the full, I will allow you and April to join the game, if you wish."

Forcing a crooked half-smile, Tau gave a begrudging nod.   
"Hey. Don't sweat it." comforted Raph, giving her shoulder a nudge with his own. "You c'n look after these for me in the meantime, 'k?" he offered her his two sai magnanimously. She took them with a smile, appreciating the gesture, waiting till he'd flashed her one in return and jogged away to start discussing tactics with Don before she rolled her eyes.   
"Yeah. Great. Thanks." she muttered flatly under her breath.   
"Come on." invited April, wrapping her arm around the girls' shoulders to guide her towards the porch steps. "Having 'been here, done this' before; _believe_ me when I say the safest spot for us right now is in the house. Besides, it gives us a chance for a bit of quiet-time…"

Three hours later April was happily pillaging the kitchen pantry, pulling out ingredients and setting Tausha to the task of cutting vegetables. At least that way the girl could work by the window. Their 'quiet-time' had started off as just that; April quickly curling up in an armchair with a hot drink and a book, Tau seemingly doing the same on the couch. After almost an hour though, April decided more of a distraction was in order to keep the girl from her constant fidgeting and glances outside.

To that end they had spent the next couple of hours taking advantage of the fact that, once they tidied a room, it managed to stay that way for more than five minutes. Tausha completed every chore April gave her with gusto, if only to return to the windows that little bit quicker.

Now April was planning to spend the rest of the day in the kitchen. As much as she loved Mikes' cooking, she had a hankering to do some baking her self. First up she had decided on a beef casserole for dinner. Fish was nice; sushi, Mornay, baked, in patties, salads, rolls, pies, with pasta and goodness knows what else… Mike could work wonders with a tin of tuna or salmon, and usually did, almost every lunch and dinner unless there was a special occasion. However, red meat was in order for tonight, by Aprils' estimate.

A loaf of bread to go with the main meal, perhaps a cake for dessert; and why not some cookies for when the games were finished and the boys would inevitably come raiding for snack? Fit lunch in there somewhere and she and Tau should be pretty set for keeping occupied the rest of the day, was Aprils' reasoning.

Pulling out a large bowl and setting it on the bench-top next to Taushas' chopping board, April noticed the girl had paused in cutting a carrot to stare outside. Taking a look for herself at what had caught her friends attention, April cringed as she realised Casey was currently the 'Tagee'. As he was being dragged towards the porch, he managed to slip the hold Don had on his wrist to attempt to run back into the cover of the woods that started only 30 meters or so away from the front of the house. He didn't make it.

Instead her partner was quickly shoved face first into the snow by both Don and Leo throwing themselves on his back to re-capture him. They yanked him back up, and he had just enough time to shake the slush from his face before Raph and Mike launched a surprise attack from the roof of the house, resulting in Casey being treated to another face-full of snow.

A battle-royale broke out between the teams over their quarry, literally. Casey had his face planted at least twice more before he managed to crawl away from the melee. The fierce battle-cries, taunts and even some of the blows resounded loud enough to be heard clearly through the glass. Tau gave a little sigh and April eyed her dubiously.   
"You're with them pretty much 24/7, I would've thought you'd like a break away from them?" she probed.   
"Yeah…" answered the girl wistfully. "I just wanted to enjoy getting some exercise outside too… Didn't realise how much I missed it really, seeing blue sky without the sharp edges of buildings cutting into it, just trees. And the snow is such great fun… Well, when it's not being blown at ya in a gale force wind anyway." she chuckled.

"Oh, Tau, I'm sorry! I should have realised you haven't had many chances to experience snow, and here I've been trying to distract you from it all day…" fretted April, feeling a little foolish.   
"It's okay." shrugged Tau. "You were right; I probably would've ended up sitting here in the house with a bloody nose or worse pretty quickly anyway, if I'd tried to stay in the game. Kinda depressing to realise how much they do hold back for me sometimes…"

"Hm," smiled April. "They are a good bunch of guys. Sweetest guys I know actually. Isn't it funny that a girl's gotta turn to mutants to find a real gentleman these days, huh?" she half-joked.   
"Isn't Casey a 'gentleman'?" jibed Tau gently.   
"He's getting better…" admitted April with a devious grin. "But the turtles are a good influence on him." her face fell a little as she continued. "It's a crying shame really they don't have any females of their own. If they were human they'd be fighting off girls as well as street-punks, ninja, aliens and god knows what." she shook her head sadly.

Tau returned to chopping her carrot with meticulous care.   
"You don't think…one of them could find a girl that would like them?" she asked softly after a moment. April cocked her head in consideration as she sifted flour into her bowl.   
"I don't suppose it's outside the realms of possibility." she replied. "However, I think I'd have to seriously question the motives of any woman that said they liked one of them 'that way'. I'd really hate to see any of them get hurt by some bi…, uh, 'woman' trying to manipulate them, or getting their hopes up only to break their hearts. The turtles are pretty street-wise, but I think they are still a bit naïve when it comes to girls and things."

"Um, yeah, I suppose so. I reckon a girl could like 'em though, without having some 'agenda' to hurt 'em." contended Tau.   
"Well I must admit; I would like to think that could be the case. But it would take a lot for someone to be able to do that. I mean, it is easy to forget it most of the time, but they aren't human. They're still…animals…really…" April petered out uncertainly.   
"So, um, you've never thought of any of them as…" Tau hedged, hoping she only sounded curious.   
"Oh heavens, no! They're like brothers to me!" flustered April, a bright blush creeping up her face that made Tau eye her dubiously. "Oh, alright, I did have these…, uh, 'dreams'… Once! Ages ago!" she admitted hastily. "You can't tell anyone though!" she ordered with a stern, dough-covered finger. "I mean, poor Donnie, he's such a sweet kid! He'd just _die_ of embarrassment if he ever found out…, I just _know_ it!" she asserted whilst pummelling the goop in her bowl.

Tau decided to drop the subject, fearing from the way her friend was attacking her mixture that it had gone a little too far for comfort already. So she was surprised when April continued a few moments later, though she didn't look up from her bowl.   
"It's all a silly notion anyway. I'm way older than him for a start! And can you see me living in the sewers? Sorry, tried that already, and it is _not_ for me! And I know, if anything could have started, considering the whole 'animal' thing…" she circled a sticky hand in the air to make her point "…it wouldn't have lasted. It's weird, 'cos I've never really thought about it till recently, but ever since Casey let slip he was thinking about…you know, I've gotten really impatient about it! All I want to do now is settle down and…have some kids. Somehow fate always seems to make sure 'settling down' is something the turtles never get to do, and 'kids'? I don't think there's any chance of that happening for them either."

April gave a small sigh. "No, I think fate sent Casey my way. I actually thought he was a self-centred, ignorant, buffoon when I first met him. I still do sometimes, but I love him anyway. Heh, I must admit I was kinda hoping…" she chuckled. "He's such a dope; I could see him doing something tactless like giving me an engagement ring as a Christmas present. But I can see a real future with him, you know?" she asked rhetorically.

Tau nodded slowly regardless; opening her mouth to speak, she was cut off by the red-head continuing.   
"I'd love to know what you think we could make of this property actually. I don't know that much about farming, but if Caseys' grandmother would let us buy it from her, it would be a wonderful place to raise children. Heh, I know the buildings could still use a lot of work and things, it wouldn't be easy. But if we could set up a reliable enough connection to the internet from here, I could probably do my job remotely. And Casey could look after the live-stock and such and bring in some extra money that way."

"It's kinda hard to judge it, with all the snow and everything." shrugged Tau. "And I don't know anything about 'farming' as such. From the look of the barn and the size of the paddocks you have here, I'd say you could run horses; probably some cattle and sheep as well if you wanted. It'd be tough work for Casey though, doing it all on his own; especially if you wanted to be more than just self-sufficient out here."   
"Yeah." agreed April. "I'm sure the turtles would help out some. They'd always be welcome here. At least they could enjoy being 'uncles'!" she grinned. "I think they'd be great with kids, and I'd always want them to be a big part of my family. I love them all. You'd be welcome too; you're a good friend to us all as well. And probably about as close as any girl will get to them."

Shaking her head, in part to hide the slight colour on her cheeks, Tau gave a little laugh.   
"I doubt I'm as close to them as you are! Can I ask ya? Have you ever suspected one of them might…have had a crush on you?" she probed, curious now if April had ever suspected Dons' feelings towards her.   
"I know you and Raph are good friends, but I didn't think he would've told anyone about that. He never even admitted it to me! I am glad the two of you can talk about things though, I've always felt he needed someone, outside the family, to…vent to, I guess. More than the others do, anyway."

"Oh, so, you know about him an'…?" Tau mumbled nervously. April interrupted her with a snigger.   
"Of course I do! He used to drop by my place so often when I first got to know them. He nearly always came by on his own; especially after he'd had a falling out with his brothers or something. He'd just sit on my couch, or help me out with my house-work. We even got to talking a fair bit; though I was always a bit wary of his temper when he came by angry. That made things a little awkward sometimes. But it was pretty clear to me he had a little crush. I didn't mind it really. If it helped him to work out some of his demons spending some time with me, and he didn't push for anything, then it was all good. Once he met Casey though, I think he got over me pretty quickly. I suppose 'busting heads' is more his style of working things out of his system anyway." she sighed resignedly.

Noticing the girl had gone a little pale, April tilted her head in concern to get a better look at her friends face; reassured by the crooked smile Tau gave her as soon as she realised she was under scrutiny.   
"I am glad he has found you to talk to now. It's got to be a healthier way for him to express himself. Besides, I think he was getting frustrated that Casey wasn't going out with him quite so much after we moved in together. So it was good timing that he found you really! I think you should be a bit cautious though, I do think he might be starting to get a _little_ crush on you these days!" April teased with a wink.

"R…really?" gulped Tau.   
"Yep! Don't worry, it's nothing to get embarrassed about." grinned April, sobering as she warned; "Just please don't let him get the wrong impression. He might act mean and tough at times, but he has a good heart. I'd hate to see him get hurt over a mis-understanding. And even if such a thing _were_ feasible, I know you're not interested in a relationship at the moment. Raph thinks with his gut, not his head; so I doubt he's picked up on that, even though you've been pretty obvious about it. You might find you'll have to be a bit blunt with him, just be sure to let him down carefully, okay?"   
"Uh…, yeah. I… I'll be careful…" mumbled the girl, wandering away to dump her vegetable scraps in the bin.

---------- ----------

(The next day…)

It was still early; breakfast had only finished half an hour ago, but Splinter had allowed them some free time before their daily training session, prior to their journey home happening later that day. Don also suspected it was a justification for a shorter work-out today, in deference to the many bruises, aches and pains most of the group were suffering from yesterdays' games.

Tau was no exception. Splinter had allowed her to replace Casey after lunch, and they had gone another three rounds of 'Turtle Tag' with her in the mix. She had actually faired quite well, managing to win the first round, teamed with Leo. Don had been the 'Tagee' for that game, and had found he didn't have to pull his punches as much as he'd originally intended to against her. He did suspect his brothers went a little soft on her as well though, and so did she, berating them for it after the game was finished.

As the 'Tagee' -by popular vote- in the second game, she hadn't lasted long at all. Being as small as she was, Raph had easily hefted her onto his right shoulder as he and Leo had charged through fierce opposition to get to the house and dump her unceremoniously on the porch. The fact she'd been hog-tied helped their cause as well. She didn't complain again after that.

The final match had been the longest of the day, and very scrappy. In the end everyone had been so tired and sore, the teams had decided to work together to find Mike and get him onto the porch so they could finally finish the game.

Despite her slightly blackened eye, and other contusions, Tau had offered to help as Don carried the monitor they had been using as a make-shift TV back out to the Battle-shell. He'd accepted her offer gladly. Not that he couldn't re-install the monitor on his own, but with her help and nimble fingers, it would make the job that much quicker.

He knew he'd miss her when she left. He'd gotten quite used to having her working as his assistant in the lab. Electronics were definitely not her forte, but she did learn the basics pretty quickly. These days, even with her working at the bakery, she did a large proportion of the routine repairs to the appliances they sold to raise their own funds. Raph and Mike did the majority of the rest, tending to help her out so they could 'rescue her to have some real fun', as Mike had put it. Don was grateful for all their help; it gave him more freedom to work on his inventions and research.

Despite his brothers' best efforts to save her from toiling in the lab she still spent quite a bit of time helping out in there, even when there were no appliances left to be repaired. Don suspected she enjoyed the respite at times, especially when things seemed to be awkward between her and Raph. He didn't mind. She did possess one skill his more rambunctious brothers didn't; the ability to work quietly and save any non-critical questions for a time he wasn't doing something like concentrating on getting the explosive mixture for his latest batch missiles just right. Shiny red buttons didn't seem to tempt her either; she had even swatted Mike away from his investigations of new remotes and key pads on occasion. The lab had indeed become a much safer place with her in residence.

Now, Don was working as fast as he could to complete the soldering work to ensure the monitor was secured back in its rightful location. Tau wasn't complaining. But he could tell from the way she held herself, oddly tense, that she wasn't comfortable supporting the weight of the large screen as she leant over the console to hold it in place. He guessed she might have some bruising to her ribs as well.

Completing the last join, Don gave her a smile and nod in thanks as he turned off his soldering iron. With a light sigh, Tau flopped down into one of the swivel chairs, her hand absently rubbing her side.   
"You okay?" he asked in mild concern.   
"Yeah. Just a bit stiff from yesterday." she smiled weakly.   
"Is that the only thing getting you down?" he probed gently.   
"'Down'? I'm not 'down'. What makes ya think I'd be 'down'?" Tau quibbled. Don gave a shrug.   
"The fact you're in here, instead of out there making the most of our last hours away from the Lair. I thought you liked the snow, and the chance to enjoy a bit of time outside."

"I do." assured Tau, not meeting his eyes. "But…, um…"   
"Is it Leo? You've seemed a bit…'short' with him lately." Don casually remarked. Tau drummed her fingertips together as she chewed on her lip. Not wanting her to feel pressured, Don sat in the other swivel chair and busied himself starting the trucks' in-built computer to do a systems check. Finally, she looked up to admit;   
"No. I mean, he does annoy me a bit sometimes. But, I'm more angry at myself really. He just kinda…stepped into my line of fire the other night. I suppose…" she heaved a sigh. "I suppose I should apologise to him."

"No. Don't!" chuckled Don. "I think it does him good to be gainsaid every now and then." His tone turned serious, "Why are you angry with yourself?"   
"Oh, I don't know." Tau shook her head. "I guess because of that rubbish Leo was saying in the kitchen the other day. I thought it was so unfair that he'd assume none of you stood any chance of having a relationship, just because you're a bit different. And then I realised…" she dropped her head as she paused. "I was guilty of using the same excuse." she mumbled.

Don tried to stop himself from perking his head at her admission, afraid she'd stop talking if she realised just how curious he was right now.   
"Um, 'excuse' for what?" he prodded softly, trying to appear as if the code rolling up the screen in front of him was equally as interesting as her answer. It got hard to maintain his ruse as she took her time to reply.   
"I don't know why, it's not like I don't have plenty of other reasons already…" she murmured, practically to herself. Don was confused by the way she didn't really seem to be answering his question, but thought better of saying anything in favour of letting her get things off her chest.

"I just hate to think you guys might never find someone." she began, a little louder. "And I don't think the way you look, or even the fact you're not human, is enough to stop a girl from liking you. Once they get to know you, anyway. I'm sorry, but I admit, I didn't think any of you were…'good' looking to start off with. And it did take me a long while for me to realise that…" she faltered, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.   
"Raph?" supplied Don quietly, the way her face flushed crimson gave him his answer.   
"I guess it was just an easy 'out' for me to think that way whenever I had to come up with a reason to deny…." she continued in a rush, inspecting the floor. "And when I did first realise… I worried that maybe there was something wrong with me! I didn't think I was…'kinky' about animals or anything like that! But then, how do you know until you…know?" she petered out then suddenly looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry, you probably think I'm awful…"

"Uh, no! No, I don't…actually." he assured. "I worried about the same thing when…April." he shrugged with an awkward, bashful smile. "I mean, why would a turtle be attracted to a human, right?" he laughed uneasily. "At first I thought it was simply because she was the only female 'anything' we knew, and it was just my hormones making me think of…possibilities. But if that were the case, I surely would have felt the same way when we met Angel, and other girls. Then, like you, I started to worry that perhaps I…'wasn't normal' in, uh, who I was attracted to. I started to fret that my family might think I was…weird." he glanced up to see her eyeing him dubiously. "Ok, 'weirder'." he chuckled, Tau shaking her head.   
"I don't think you're family would ever turn their backs on you." she said earnestly.   
"No. I know they wouldn't." Don genuinely smiled.

"Anyway," he continued after a moment "seeing how Leo looked at Karai sometimes, Raph with you, and the way Mike hordes the 'Victoria's Secret' catalogues, I don't think I'm alone anymore in my, uh, 'appreciation of the human female form'." he grinned as the colour infused her face again. "To be honest, I still don't completely understand why my brothers and I find women attractive. Perhaps growing up being exposed to the human ideal of what makes a good mate has warped our judgement. Maybe it's because, morphologically, we are that much closer to humans now. Or, I suspect, because we're 'intellectually closer' has a lot to do with it as well. I think the value the ability to communicate on the same level brings to a relationship is underestimated by many."

"Oh." responded Tau, looking a little lost for a moment as she tried to grasp all he had said. "So, why didn't you ever speak to April about how you felt?" she asked. It was Dons' turn to scrutinise the floor as his cheeks coloured slightly.   
"I don't know. I guess I wanted to be sure about what I feel, uh, _felt_. And by the time I was, she and Casey already seemed to be interested in each other." he gave a little sigh. "I almost told her then. She was living with us and everything, it would have been so easy…you'd think. But I got so nervous, having her around all the time, that whenever she tried to speak to me… I was actually a bit mean to her at times, splashing her with water not quite by accident and walking away while she was still talking, that kinda thing, just because I was trying to hide my anxiety from her. And then Casey asked her out…and she said 'yes'…and I…" his voice cracked and he shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry." murmured Tau sincerely. Don shook his head more vigorously, not yet trusting his voice.   
"No, I do owe you an apology." she affirmed sincerely, reaching to grip his fore-arm in consolation. "I shouldn't have interfered; telling Casey not to give her the ring for Christmas. If I'd realised it would cause you to suffer like this, I wouldn't have."   
"It's okay." he sniffed. "It's not your fault really. And, in the end, Aprils' happiness is the most important thing." Tau looked away guiltily.   
"Y…yeah." she agreed hesitantly.   
"I mean it, Tau." he asserted, regaining his composure. "I know she's way out of my league, I doubt she'd ever think of me as anything more than a kid brother. If I had asked her out, and I don't doubt she woulda said 'no', I don't think we could be so close now. I'd still rather have her as a friend than not at all."

They sat in contemplative silence for a minute; until Dons' curiosity was piqued once more by the way Tau still looked so downhearted.   
"If you don't find our differences are necessarily an obstacle any longer, is there any chance for you and…?" he asked softly.   
"No." she answered flatly. "I said it was an excuse because it was an easy thing to think of whenever I felt… But there are too many other things making it 'complicated'. Just because they aren't as cut an' dried doesn't mean I can discount them."   
"What 'other things'?" he probed.

Tau gave a quick shake of her head, and a little sigh, before she explained,   
"I suppose the main thing is; I don't want him to get hurt. Or me! I'm not so naïve as to think that if we did get together it would be forever. But knowing I will be leaving, and soon, makes it a kinda different story. In a way it'd be easier for me, I get to walk away. He doesn't." Don moved his hand to cover hers, where it was still resting on his arm.   
"Leo and Raph always have, and will, find _something_ to go head-to-head over." he tried to assure.   
"I know, but you can't deny I seem to…add fuel to the fire." she sighed. Don tilted his head in consideration.   
"That's true." he admitted, reluctantly.

"And before you ask," she continued in a jaded tone. "I do have to leave. If I don't, I might as well say good bye to everything I've ever wanted to achieve. Dad will probably still find me in the end, but I have a better chance of getting into a school undetected back home. And I suppose I am kinda hopeful that, if I can prove to him I'm capable of doing things on my own, he might…respect what _I_ want to do with my life a bit more. I do miss him, and if I stay here I doubt I could ever reconcile with him. And I can't give up on him like that. I just…can't." she looked away to murmur, "Sorry."

Don studied the side of her face before he nodded slowly.   
"It's okay. It's your life Tau; you have to live it for you. I don't think any of us, Raph included, would want you to stay if it meant you would regret it."   
"Hmm, thanks." she managed a crooked smile.   
"I do think it would have been great if you had kissed Raph the other night though," he grinned coaxingly. "Maybe if Leo saw something like that, he'd _have_ to acknowledge we have some hope of forming relationships. I can understand it might make things uncomfortable for you, but I do hope you kiss him at least once before you go. Surely one kiss couldn't hurt too much?" he asked optimistically.

Tau pulled back her hand to fidget with it in her lap as her face coloured scarlet again.   
"Uh…, I…, uh… I guess…it um, couldn't… But, ah, then again…" Don had expected her to be a bit embarrassed, but not for her to fluster to quite this extent. His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him.   
"You haven't already…?"

His query was cut off by the passengers' side door behind him being wrenched open and the sound of someone diving inside to slam the door closed again. After sharing a glance in surprise, Don and Tau turned their attention to the front of the van. Cautiously Mike stuck his head out from his hiding spot in front of the passenger seat, under the dash-board. Looking about he started as he realised he wasn't alone in the truck then shot them a sheepish, obsequious grin.

"Donnie!" he whispered in relief. "Am I glad I found _you_! We were playing with Caseys' plane, and it wasn't my fault, but they blame me anyway, and I need you fix this before they kill me! Pleeease?" he begged, puppy dog eyes working to their full, as he crawled toward his brother to offer up a mangled remote. Don took the pieces with a shake of his head.   
"Alright." he relented. "But you owe me one."   
"Yeah! Yeah, of course…" nodded Mike vigorously before he glanced between the two seated above him, he wasn't about to give away his position by risking being spotted through the windows just yet. "What're you two doin' in here anyways?"   
"Fixing the monitor." answered Don matter-of-factly. Mike cocked his head as he eyed the colour still fading from Taus' face.   
"Yeah?" he drawled. "You're not tryin' to make a move on Raphs' girl, are ya?" he teased.

Don fixed him with a cool stare.   
"No. Do you _want_ me to fix this for you?"   
"Yeah! It's all good! There's nothin' going on here at all! Read ya loud an' clear, brother dearest to my heart." fawned Mike.   
"Tch, good!" said Tau, rising from her seat. "'Cos I'm _nobody's_ 'girl', got it?" she stood over Mike with her hands on her hips.   
"Awww! Oh, ok, I guess…" he muttered glumly as his objection was quashed by a stern look from the girl. With that she gave a satisfied little nod and stepped out the back of the van with a "Later." tossed over her shoulder. The two turtles shared a significant glance.   
"Uh-huh." dead-panned Mike; as Don turned away to start on the repair job for his brother.

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A/N 2: My olde style English has tripped me up again. I've had a query asking what 'gainsaid' means, so for those who aren't familiar with the word it means 'to contradict, oppose, or argue with' in a way. A classic example of being gainsaid is when you've told your kids one thing (like "NO more chocolate or you'll be sick!"), only to have someone else coughgrandmothercough contradict your assertion (by telling your kids that "one more won't hurt!") Usually it happens right in front of you, with an infuriating grin from the one responsible. Hmmm, yes, 'gainsaid' I have been many a time, lol!

Anywho, I do realise the language I use can be a bit archaic at times. So feel free to prod me for definitions or explanations of any word, gesture, or just about anything in these fics really, lol!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Got some sad news. My old lappie finally gave up it's ghost last week. It has been buried with full honours and took half a chapter that I'd just written for this series with it. I have gotten this fic finished, and made a good start on the next, but if my updates become a little erratic for a while I apologise!

Thank you most muchly to artykidd, Shorty0908, The REAL Cheese Monkey, RAPHAELFAN02, and Nikki Ross for the reviews last chapter. I'm really tickled pink you're all enjoying this, and itching to give Tau and Raph a solid boot up their respective rears to encourage them to sort themselves out already myself! LOL

Many thanks to artykidd and CPQ for beta-reading most of this chapter. I recently added the last section with Leo after finishing another 'future' short story and realised it might be an idea for me to give a bit of his POV on everything that's going on right about now. So that section hasn't had any feedback on it so far. I hope I haven't made him too melancholic.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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It was getting close to midnight, and Tau was starting to feel tired. Not that she was surprised, after working a full, hectic day for the Valentino's Bakery. She had been a little worried about losing out on most of a weeks wage when Marcello had told her they would be away visiting family over Christmas. But her boss had then asked her to start at 5am on New Year's Eve, the only day they were going to open the bakery between the Christmas and New Year holidays. She had readily agreed in order to make up for some of her lost earnings.

After a long day of quickly washing up utensils and scrubbing bench-tops so as not to hold up the next batch of loaves, cakes and sweet breads; and having to deliver to over a dozen customers wearing the floppy 'rabbit suit', Tau felt drained. Physically from the rigorous work and trying to walk about swiftly in the oppressive costume, and mentally from having to put up with Enricos' drivel about fast cars and night clubs as he drove her about on her rounds. She'd only listened to him with half an ear, just enough to answer with an "Uh-huh." every now and then; distracted as she was with her own, silent game of 'spot the bike'. It still amazed here how easily a bright red motorbike could seem to vanish amid the mid-day traffic.

She knew she couldn't complain really; after fearing she'd have to wear the uncomfortable costume regularly when she had started the job, this was only the third time she had actually been asked to do so. She had even over-heard her boss turn down one request for a delivery from the 'bunny'; since it wasn't for a 'special occasion'. He'd sent his son, Enrico, to drop off the goods instead.

The bakery had been so busy she had worked back an hour past her usual finish time in order to get the kitchen completely cleaned up. To her astonishment, when Marcello handed over her earnings for the day, he also gave her a $20.00 bonus for working so hard, and a bottle of cheap champagne to wish her a Happy New Year!

Now she was stood, a glass of the bubbly ready in her hand, along with Splinter and the Turtles watching the celebrations in Times Square via a live feed on the bank of monitors. Mike and Raph had wanted to go out, to watch the New Year Ball drop from the near-by rooftops. But Leo had vetoed that idea, citing the drunken crowds posed too much of a risk. Tau was secretly thankful they were staying in the Lair, even as she commiserated with her friends over a couple of beers. At least this way she might get to bed pretty soon after midnight!

She stifled a small yawn as the count-down started on the screens, Mike excitedly adding his voice to the announcement.   
"…four, three, two, ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! CHEERS!" he shouted, raising his glass before he tossed back his champagne in one gulp. The whole group joined the toast, Tau still with her glass to her lips as Mike quickly snaked an arm about her waist, pulling her into a side-long hug to plant a loud kiss on her cheek. "Mmm_wha_!"

"Augh!" grinned Tau, pretending to wipe slobber off her face. Catching sight of Leo frowning slightly out of the corner of her eye, she decided to plant a kiss back on Mikes' cheek, an imitation of the one he had just given her.   
"Oh whoa! Thanks babe!" Mike beamed in response. Leo stepped closer.   
"I don't think…" he started to object. Tau cut him off by cupping his face in her hands.   
"Leo! It's the _New Year_!" she laughed before pulling his face forward to give him a light kiss on top of his beak.   
"Oh! Um…" he flustered, Tau releasing him to walk over to Don.   
"It _is_ a long-standing tradition, Leo." explained his purple clad brother with a grin. "We've just never had a girl here…" Don faltered as he received his kiss on the cheek from her. "Heh, thank you!" he blushed.

Splinter was settling himself in his armchair once more as Raph flopped down to sit on the couch, dumping his feet on the coffee table; the knock making a couple of the empty beer cans left there topple onto the floor. Tau made her way over to the Sensei, giving a small bow first.   
"Hmm." the rat smiled warmly at the feel of her lips pressed lightly against his fur. "Domo arigato Tausha-san." he thanked her before she turned to his final son.

Raph was sitting with his arms crossed, trying to suppress a scowl. He looked up as she approached and felt a sudden irrational apprehension at the prospect of being kissed by her in full view of his family. There was something about the gleam in her eye that made him think everyone would realise it wasn't the first time they had done such a thing, the heat flushing up his neck at the prospect of being caught-out'.

"Don't ya dare!" he suddenly warned her off with a stern, raised finger. Tau paused to quirk an eyebrow at him in disbelief.   
"Ha! Get 'im Tau!" urged Mike. With a bold grin she nodded.   
"It's only fair, after all!" she agreed before she pounced towards the couch. Raph managed to grasp her by her hips, fending her off. What he didn't count on was her pivoting on his hold, toppling over above him to smack a kiss just below his bandanna. His eyes widened as he realised she'd just wantonly defied him.   
"Arrgh! I'll get you for that, you little minx!" he cried, tossing her on her back along the sofa to kneel over her, tickling her sides mercilessly. He didn't stop until her face started going blue from laughing too much, trapping her arms by her sides as she tried to catch her breath back.

She looked up at him as she recovered, her query regarding why she was being restrained clear on her features. Raph leaned in low over her face to explain roguishly;   
"I _told_ ya not to do that… _Now_, I'm gonna have ta retaliate." Tau managed a faint gasp in exasperation, still struggling for air too much to speak clearly, before he pressed his lips just to one side of hers.

He didn't mean for the touch to linger, but he was distracted momentarily by the memories it evoked. Recollections of how she'd let him push back the boundaries of her 'cheek' to include her jaw, the top of her neck and her ear-lobe during the rare moment of privacy they had managed to glean in the farmhouse bathroom a couple of days ago. Her own explorations of his face had gotten a little bolder as well, thankfully before April had walked in. Tau had seemed to become a little distant with him again after that, but if she was willing to be this cheeky…, maybe he'd been mistaken!

"Alright, that's enough." scolded Leo, snapping Raphs' mind back to the present. The hot-head shot his imperious brother a scowl, not sparing the other two –whispering together, Mike hiding a giggle behind his hand– from his dark look either. Hastily he backed off the girl, to sit back on the couch as he had been originally.

Shakily Tau sat herself up, feeling fairly self-conscious under the looks from his family, she laughed uncertainly.   
"Heh, remind me not to kiss you again!" she taunted, eyeing Raph warily.   
"_That_ sounds like a New Year resolution." commented Leo; taking a seat to the other side of her now there was space available on the couch. Raph gave a derisive snort.   
"What?" asked Tau in umbrage of her close friends' response "D'ya think I'd break it?" she challenged Raph mockingly. He fought it for a moment, but had to surrender to the urge to flash her a dirty grin.   
"Ya _have_ to; it's what they're for!" expounded Mike, as he bounced down to sit on the couch arm next to his red-clad brother.

"Hmph! I _keep_ my promises." assured Tau, making a show of crossing her arms and turning her nose in the air.   
"Well, in that case then, it's a good thing ya haven't made one then, huh?" winked Mike, undaunted. She opened her mouth to retort, to be interrupted by Leo.   
"Mikey..." he drawled in a low, warning tone; deciding not to follow through any further with his reprimand as Mike cried out, Raph grabbing him by his bandanna tails to tug him down for a rough noogie. Tau yelped as she tried to dodge a flailing limb, and Don burst out laughing at the sight. Leo gave a little resigned sigh as he got jostled; it wasn't like they would listen to him over the escalating ruckus anyway.

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A fresh new morning in a fresh New Year, and Splinter intended to start it as he meant it to go on. For that reason he wasn't accepting any excuses for lateness in the dojo or slacking off from any of his students, regardless of how little sleep they had gotten the night before. Thankfully, it wasn't too much of an issue for most of his charges. Even Mike –whom Splinter had ordered to bed at three am after his son had sung along loudly with yet another rendition of 'Auld Lang Syne' on the TVs– had shaken the worst of the grogginess from his face by the time they had finished their warm-up kata.

Overall, Splinter was happy with the way his pupils fell back into their regular training routine. He had enjoyed the trip to the farmhouse, but did appreciate being able to get back to having a large area dedicated to being a dojo.

Given Tausha had worked in lieu of training yesterday, Raphael and Leonardo also missing out on their regular session to keep a watch on her, Splinter made sure all his students worked extra hard to make up for the recent dearth in their training over the holidays. By the end of the session, everyone was more than ready for lunch.

Since it was a public holiday, Tau not working thus giving them all the rest of the day off; a debate over how to spend the afternoon was being contested over the meal. The conversation was interrupted as the elevator doors hissed open, Casey and April strolling into the Lair, her left forearm tucked up under her right as she hugged her boyfriends' arm.

"Hey Ape, Case-man! Happy New Year!" greeted Mike around the fork in his mouth, waving to them from his seat. A chorus of welcomes came from the rest of the group as well as they turned in their chairs to face the new arrivals.   
"Hi guys! A Happy New Year to you, too." replied April warmly, resting her head on Caseys' shoulder as they walked up to stand beside the table.   
"How was your Boss's party last night, April?" asked Don with a smile. The two humans shared a quick glance before April shrugged nonchalantly.   
"Oh, the party was pretty much the same as it is every year." she explained casually, though her smile grew wider with each passing moment. "Well up until midnight anyway…" she beamed, deliberately leaving her sentence hanging.

"Oh, oh, what happened then?" Mike excitedly rose to the bait. April and Casey shared another quick look and a grin.   
"This!" she announced with a dramatic flourish of her left hand, the diamond glinting on her finger.   
"WOW!" yelled Mike, the first to launch himself from his chair, racing around the table to capture April in a bear hug. Most of the others were only moments behind him, Raph rising from where he he'd been seated in front of his buddy to thump Casey warmly on the shoulder.   
"Way to go, Head-case!" he grinned as Casey coloured in the face of all the attention, Leo quickly grabbing his hand to shake it. Tau had been seated in front of April, and had gotten in a quick hug with her friend after Mike, before she'd ducked out of the way of Raph turning to glomp the woman.

Turning his attentions to Casey, Mike teased;   
"So, you _finally_ asked her, huh? We were all starting to think you'd chickened out!"   
"Hey!" protested Casey, with a mock-scowl. "What d'ya take me for…?"   
"'Finally'?" interrupted April. "You mean; you guys knew about this?"   
"Uh…, um…" Mike drummed his fingers together in the sudden silence that fell.   
"We kept the ring in safe-keeping for some weeks, April-chan." explained Splinter with a warm smile. A crooked grin snuck onto Aprils' face.   
"Oh, you guys! I can't believe you all managed to keep this a secret from me!" she exclaimed happily, brushing away a tear to grip Splinter in a firm hug.

As the group continued to congratulate the couple –Mike begging to be told every little detail of how Casey had proposed, right down to the colour of the fireworks overhead– Tau found herself on the outer; stood next to Don. She didn't mind stepping aside to let the others enjoy the moment. Given they were all practically family, she figured she had no right to intercede any further on their celebrations. Besides, despite his multiple assurances he'd be fine once April got engaged, Don seemed quite lost.

He had stood and rushed around the table with his brothers, but had shuffled to a halt just before he'd reached their friends. He didn't appear sad, or happy, or _anything_; his face blank as he stared through the commotion in front of him. That worried Tau more than any emotion he could have shown would have. He paid her no heed as she stepped over beside him. Gently she gave him a nudge with her shoulder, hoping for any kind of reaction. She didn't get any for an interminable moment.

Finally, he seemed to give a little jolt out of his reverie, tilting his head very slightly to acknowledge her presence, though he didn't look her way. Still worried for him, Tau gave his hand a light squeeze. With a little sigh he met her eyes at last to give her a ghost of a grateful smile.

"Donnie?" Aprils' concerned query got their attention instantly. Don quickly waved Taus' hand away as April approached, to plaster a surprisingly passable grin on his face. "Are you ok?" she persisted. "Please say you're happy for us. I'd hate to think you weren't…"   
"Yeah! Yeah, of course I'm happy for you, April!" he assured.   
"Oh good!" she beamed in relief, wrapping him in a warm embrace.

After enjoying the cuddle for a moment, Don pulled back a little. Keeping a gentle grip on her arm, he caught Aprils' eye with an earnest look.   
"I was just waiting for the chance to…, to say…that I love you. Like a sister!" he added in nervous haste. "And that I know Casey will make you exceedingly happy. Because, if he doesn't…" he fixed the man with a hard stare "…he'll have m…_us_ to answer to!"   
"Damn straight!" muttered Raph with an evil grin, Casey shifting uneasily as all the mutants around him nodded in agreement with their kin.

Dons' face softened as he addressed April again.   
"I know you know this already. But if you, uh, _either_ of you, ever need me, um, us. We're always here for you. No matter what." he pledged sincerely.   
"Oh Donnie, that's so sweet of you!" gushed April, pulling him back into another strong hug.

Waiting until his fiancé had released the turtle, Casey gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder.   
"Yeah, thanks, appreciate it. I think!" he joked half-heartedly, wondering if he'd misjudged the benefits of not having a live Father-In-Law to deal with, if he was gonna have to answer to five butt-kicking ninja instead!   
"Tch!" April gave her partners' chest a light tap with the back of her hand. "Of _course_ we do! From all of you. And, you know, this doesn't change anything. You can still rely on us to be there for you guys as well." she smiled tenderly at all her friends.

"Oh!" she perked after a moment. "Speaking of which, here's all your mail that's come in over the past week or so." April dug into her handbag and extracted a neat bundle of papers. Pulling off the elastic band, she divvied the mail to its respective recipients.   
"Here you go Donnie; your latest issue of 'New Scientist', and these." she handed the majority of the letters and a plastic covered magazine to the genius. There was an envelope for Mike; from the 'Silver Sentry Fan Club', and one for Splinter.

Used to not receiving anything in the mail, Raph, Leo and Tau had started to gather the dishes off the table.   
"And this last one is for you, Leo." announced April, holding the letter out toward him.   
"It is? I'm not expecting anything…" he eyed the envelope suspiciously before taking it, quirking an eye-ridge in puzzlement as he turned it over in his hands to read the notations on the outside. Curious, Raph leaned over to read the senders' details listed on the back.   
"What the…? The 'Japanese Culture Appreciation Society'?" he asked, incredulous.   
"Oh man! Just when I thought you couldn't get any more square, bro!" teased Mike.

With a frown for his two brothers, Leo stalked into the kitchen to escape their jeers and to open the letter in some sort of seclusion, in case it contained anything dangerous. Tau was leaving a load of dirty plates on the counter when he entered. Spotting the letter in his hand she shot him a strangely obsequious grin, then quick-stepped it out of the kitchen to leave him in peace.

Tearing it open he quickly scanned the few pages within, glad the girl had left so no-one could see the way his jaw dropped in disbelief. Gathering the note back into its envelope, and his face under some semblance of control, he took a moment to consider his next step.

He figured he should just throw it in the bin; shred it first so no-one could fetch it back out of the trash to read it. But, inexplicably, he couldn't bring himself to tear it up. Deciding he needed more time to contemplate the envelopes' contents, he shoved it roughly into a pocket on his belt.

Raph and Mike picked that moment to enter the kitchen with the last of the table-ware from lunch. Leo made a show of dusting off his hands over the bin as they saw him.   
"What d'ya do with your letter?" asked Mike, glancing about for the missive.   
"It was nothing." shrugged Leo.   
"'Nothing'?" probed Raph sceptically.   
"It was just some…promotional rubbish…" Leo covered.   
"Uh-huh, how'd they get our address?" queried Mike.   
"I, uh, I filled out an opinion poll? Yes, online, a while ago now. I must've included our postal details without thinking. Stupid of me, I know. So just drop it. I'll send them a message to stop any future junk mail. Ok? Happy? Good. That's that then." nodded Leo brusquely, striding out the doorway.

Mike and Raph quirked an eye-ridge at each other;   
"Leo? Stupid?" queried Mike.   
"Yeah, he is. But, not _that_ stupid!" replied Raph.

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Leo couldn't sleep. He had managed a fitful doze before he'd heard his brothers' door open. It only made the slightest creak, but he was accustomed to listening out for it, even in his slumber. In the past it had been to confirm his sibling had gotten home at some point all those times he'd stormed, snuck or simply walked out of the Lair alone. If he hadn't heard the tell tale creak by three am Leo invariably found himself sitting on the edge of his bed wondering where he would start his search for his itinerant brother.

Now, it was different. There was still the occasional night he listened for his brothers' return. But, more often than not, he was listening for his brother leaving. Tonight, Leo had leapt out of his bed at the warning from his brothers' door, to be met with a glower as Raph irately pointed out he was only heading to the bathroom for nothing more than a glass of water.

Leo had withdrawn to his own room after giving an apology, listening with his ear pressed against his closed door to ensure Raph did indeed return to his hammock after getting his drink. Once he was positive his brother had done just that, Leo had retired to his bed. That had been over an hour ago, and Leo was yet to close his eyes for more than a blink since.

At first he thought he was simply anticipating that Raph might attempt another excursion. But eventually he realised his sight was focused on the corner of the envelope he'd received that day jutting over the side of his desk. He had no idea how long he'd been staring at the slip of paper.

Feeling suddenly restless, Leo sat up to run his hand down his face. Then swiftly stood, leaving his blankets in a rumpled mess, and left his room. His foot hit the top step leading to the floor below, when a thought struck him. Turning back, he went to listen at his brothers' door.

Raph was asleep, snoring like an outboard motor on the fritz. He stopped with a snort for a moment to grumble something Leo couldn't quite make out through the wood between them then started the terrible racket of his breathing again. Surely his brother couldn't fake that sound, Leo not wanting to actually open the door, wary of waking Raph if he did.

There was one other Leo wanted to check on before he made his way downstairs. Though given the way she had been very careful around him since he'd first read his letter after lunch, he doubted she would do anything to risk antagonising him tonight.

Unfortunately Tau usually didn't snore, so he cracked her bedroom door open the slightest amount; just enough for him to peer through and confirm she was there and sound asleep. It was a little difficult for him to distinguish her form in the dimness of her room, but he realised it was definitely her huddled under the blankets, not some ruse. The toes on one of her feet were just poking out from under her covers.

Drawing her door closed he froze as he heard her stir, shifting about and groaning something in which Leo was sure he caught his brothers' name. With a light scowl he waited until she had settled again to move, silently pulling her door to.

Swiftly, he made his way down to the kitchen. He fixed himself a sandwich as he pondered why he kept such a close guard on nocturnal activities within the Lair these days. He knew he was starting to antagonise Raph by questioning his every move after they had retired for the night. But then again, despite Raph always having a seemingly reasonable excuse to be up and about, there had been at least two occasions he'd been stood partway along the ledge leading to the next alcove when Leo had intercepted him.

He hadn't caught Tau wandering about at night yet, but something niggled at Leos' mind that it might just be a matter of time before he did. There was no solid evidence that he'd seen for his hunch. It was just a feeling he got at times when he spied her watching his brother.

The fact she hadn't promised to not kiss Raphael the night before concerned him too. He'd gone over and over what everyone involved had said in his mind. And he was certain she'd never actually made such a guarantee; despite her starting that particular conversation by saying they shouldn't do such a thing again.

Tausha seemed so determined to keep the first promise Leo had demanded of her. She worked hard and assured everyone that she would get on a plane back to Melbourne once she had the fare saved. He was sure he would sleep easier if she hadn't evaded making the resolution he'd suggested last night.

With a sigh he returned to his snack, after putting away the bread, to lean on the counter. A hand either side of the small plate, he stared through it as he continued with his contemplation.

He had started to wonder recently if he was being too harsh in keeping his brother and the girl apart, or if it was worth his while to continue what seemed to be a futile battle. But receiving the letter today had hardened his resolve to continue the fight.

Leo doubted Raph would ever understand, much less forgive him, for his interference. However, if he could spare his kin the heartache Raph was sure to endure if he did take his relationship with Tau to the next level before she left, it would be well worth it; in Leos' opinion. After all, the way things stood now, it was obvious that the hot-head was going to feel hurt as it was, when she did exit from their lives. Perhaps even more than Leo himself had been when...

Shaking his head to halt that train of thought, Leo strode to the kitchen door. Reaching to turn out the light he suddenly remembered he'd left his sandwich on the counter. Quickly he stepped back to scoop up the plate and carry it out into the main chamber. He paused for a moment to allow his eyes to readjust to the darkness, subconsciously peering up through the gloom towards Raphs' room.

His own anguish was amplified enough to drive an ache into his throat at the thought that Raph may soon be forced to suffer as he did. He figured the hot-head just did not realise that such pain wasn't fleeting; couldn't be cured with bed-rest or bandages. It was more like a scar that never fully healed; an old deep-muscle injury that ached with the change in the weather. Eventually it would dull, perhaps could even be ignored for a time, but it always lingered. Always.

Leo counted himself lucky that his own naïve and misdirected feelings had never truly been returned, or possibly even realized, by the one who had given him his scars. He had received more than the gouge to his psyche to remember his harsh lesson by. There was the puckered skin on his side usually hidden by his belt, the chunk missing from his carapace, and a large number of the other nicks and marks adorning his flesh, he was sure.

And that was what kept him leaping out of bed every time he heard Raphs' door open in the night. Despite her alliances, Tausha didn't fight his brother any longer. She didn't spit his shattered honour back in his face. Leo was horrified by the prospect that, even now; Raphael was heading for far worse than he himself had ever had to deal with. It was difficult enough parting on bad terms; Leo couldn't imagine how hard it would be to do it on good…

And if his brother did ever managed to consummate his affair with the girl before she left… Leo gave an involuntary shudder. No, he would rather have his brother loath him than step aside and let him fall to a depth that dark. At least if Raph despised him, it would give him an outlet, a way to work off his frustrations and hurt. And hopefully he wouldn't shut-down, swallow the grief and harden his heart. Hopefully his brothers' anger wouldn't give him the option of facing that dark totally alone.

It suddenly registered with Leo that he was feeling chilled. How long had he been standing there, staring up at the mezzanine? Shaking himself in an attempt to snap out of his melancholy, he noticed the light seeping under the closed laboratory door. His heart plummeted, and with a heavy sigh he made his way over to peek into Donatellos' sanctuary.

Seeing his genius brother sat at the computer, slowly flicking through photos on the monitor, gave Leo a depressing sense of déjà vu. There were more images than there had been last time, almost two years ago now; the night of Casey and Aprils' first date. And Don wasn't crying, not obviously anyway. At least Leo had a good idea of what the problem was this time.

The only sound was the slow 'tack, tack, tack…' of the keyboard as Don scrolled through the slide-show on the screen. Family photos, special occasions, a couple Mikey had taken goofing around, one out of focus… just as before, there was only one common denominator. Every image featured their tall, red-haired friend.

Steeling himself, Leo slipped through the door and closed it behind him with an intentional 'click'. Don started slightly, but didn't bother to look away from his computer, or stop the measured rhythm of his finger on the 'Enter' key.

Leo slipped his plate onto a nearby desk as he approached to stand behind his brother, watching the images in silence for a few minutes. Then he reached out a hand to grip Dons' shoulder in consolation.   
"You finally told her, at least." murmured Leo. Don took his time to answer.   
"Yeah, I suppose." his voice cracked slightly. A few moments later, Don reached with his spare hand to grip the one holding his shoulder; Leo shifting his to lock their fingers together.

Long moments stole by as the images continued to flicker up on the screen.   
"She'll be happy, right?" Don eventually whispered brokenly. Leo wasn't too sure which answer his brother wanted to hear, but the edge of desperation in his brothers' voice made him go with,   
"Yeah Donnie. She is happy."

Finally, Don turned his head momentarily to give Leo the briefest of tremulous smiles.   
"Thanks bro. I needed to hear that." he murmured with a small nod, quickly fixating back on the monitor.   
"Will you be alright?" asked Leo quietly.   
"Yeah!" assured Don with a weak, unconvincing laugh.

A minute trickled by.   
"I'm sorry Donnie. I should have… If I'd realised in the beginning how you were starting to feel towards…"   
"Don't sweat it Leo." assured Don, his voice a little steadier now. "I told you last time this wasn't your fault. You can't protect us from everything, you know. And some things you just can't… fight. All you can do is… pick-up the pieces afterwards." He gave a little sigh and a sniffle.

Leo felt tears of his own threatening. Gently he wrapped his brother in an embrace with his free arm, resting his cheek atop Dons' head.   
"You're not alone. You know that, don't you?" he asked softly. Don gripped the hand he held on his shoulder a little tighter.   
"Yeah. I do." he smiled slightly, bravely.

They stayed like that for a long while, until Leo finally succumbed to a yawn.   
"Go get some rest Leo. I'll be fine." prompted Don, his voice almost back to normal.   
"You sure?" queried Leo, straightening his stiff back a little.   
"Yes! Go, I'll head to bed soon." Don lightly admonished.   
"Well, okay. Only if you're really sure…"

Don silenced him with mock-scowl tossed over his shoulder. Taking the hint, Leo gave his brothers' shoulder a light rub before walking slowly out of the lab, hesitating at the door to glance back for a final check on his kin.

A small, warm smile broke out on Dons' face, even as he slowly shook his head in feigned exasperation as the lab door clicked shut behind his brother. His stomach growled and he swivelled his chair about intent on heading to the kitchen, when he noticed the sandwich left conveniently nearby.   
"Tch, _Leo_!" he complained light-heartedly. "I'm not an infant!" he rolled his eyes, biting into the bread. "Mmpf! Wha' th'…?" Don grimaced as his teeth met an unexpected resistance. Opening the sandwich he eyed the individual slice of processed cheese in disbelief. How on Earth could Leo forget to take off the plastic wrapping…?


	21. Epilogue

A/N: Ah, yeeah... it's the Epilogue. -ducks and runs from deserved shower of rotten fruit-

Thank you very much to Nikki Ross, Shorty0908, artykidd and RAPHAELFAN02 for the reviews last chapter. And to everyone else who has contributed feedback for this story along the way.

Many thanks as well to artykidd and CPQ for beta-reading and really helping to make this series much richer with their contributions and support.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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It had been almost a week since Leo had received the letter from the 'Japanese Culture Appreciation Society'. He'd finally convinced his nosey brothers that it hadn't been anything of significance, and had spent many hours meditating on what it had revealed to him. He still wasn't sure just what it meant, or how it made him feel. Indeed, he had already tossed it in his waste-basket three times, only to find himself fishing it back out again a few hours later.

At a loss regarding how he could resolve his confusion, he had actually walked into his Masters' room twice; leaving on both occasions after having asked his Father a completely unrelated question instead. That had given him much more food for thought. In the end, he had put it down to not wanting to bother his Sensei with such a trivial matter; one that he should have the maturity and fortitude to deal with on his own.

Still, it was clear he needed some form of advice regarding how to deal with the situation. So, he decided to go to the source of the problem. Tausha had been careful to avoid being caught alone with him, and had made an obvious effort to keep in his good books since New Years' Day. That didn't surprise Leo one bit, though it seemed to put Raphs' nose out of joint a little. Raph and Tau were now spending some time apart after having a little disagreement over an insult his hot-headed brother had thrown Leos' way on their ride home from her work.

Hesitantly, Leo knocked lightly on her bedroom door. She opened it a few moments later to greet him with a defiant glare, staunch hand on her hip; and devilish smile. Realising who was actually at her door, she immediately dropped the attitude and started to fluster.   
"S…sorry! I thought you were… Um, wha…what d'you want?" she enquired nervously.   
"Can I come in?" asked Leo.   
"Uh, yeah? Yeah, sure…if you want…" she stepped back to invite him in with a sweep of her hand.

He waited silently just inside the doorway as she busied herself; collecting the book she had been reading off her bed to put it away in her bedside table drawer, then fussing for a moment with straightening her slightly rumpled blankets. She jumped as she heard her door click shut, her face going a shade paler as she spotted the letter now in his hands.   
"Um, Leo? I… I c'n explain…" she started anxiously.   
"I'm not mad at you." he stated levelly, keeping his face straight, though he felt as shocked at his own admission as she looked.   
"Oh? Oh! Well that's, um, good to know…" she nodded, rubbing the back of her neck before she timidly met his eyes again.

"I just want to know; why?" he answered the tacit query in her eyes, his calm tone unwavering.   
"Uh, yeah, I s'pose you would. Fair enough! I actually thought she wasn't gonna reply, I wrote to her quite a while ago now…"   
"I know; she included a copy of your letter for my reference." Leo interceded evenly. "You wrote to her back in the middle of November. Why?"

With a sigh, Tau sat on the edge of her bed. Apart from her bedside table it was the only piece of furniture in her room.   
"I don't know." she lamented. "I suppose I wanted someway to…thank you. Return the favour, so to speak. After Raph and I had that big fight –you know, over the bug thing– I was kinda worried it was going to be the end of our friendship. But you helped us out; giving us a little space apart and with the advice you gave Raph. It gave us both a chance to take a breath, have a think and really sort out our troubles. And I guess; I just wanted to give you a chance at a similar opportunity. I know now I should just keep my big nose out of other peoples' relationships. I only make things worse. So, I am sorry if…" she petered out with a little shrug.

Leo walked over to take a seat on the edge of the mattress beside her.   
"Does anybody else know about this?" he asked; a thread of unease in his voice.   
"No. I snuck it in the post while I was out shopping with April. I wasn't sure if she would write back at all, so I didn't want to… I dunno, 'spoil it' if she didn't." explained Tau, polishing the bare stone floor with the toe of her boot.   
"Has she written back to you?"   
"No. Though I didn't ask her to, and I didn't really expect her to. I mean, what would we have to talk about, really?" she smiled sheepishly.

"Huh." grunted Leo in bemused reply, shaking his head slightly. "I'm surprised she wrote to me! You were pretty obtuse in your letter."   
"Yeah, I kinda didn't want to give away too many details. And I figured, if she couldn't work out who I was referring to, I was on the wrong track anyway." she shrugged again.   
"I suppose I should thank you for that. Apart from our postal address you haven't given anything away. Reading this…" he pointed to the copy of her original note "…it doesn't even seem as if you know us that well, let alone are living with us."   
"Hmm." smiled Tau crookedly. "I know Dad isn't making her life any easier lately, so I was a bit worried she might try to play him and me against each other a bit if she realised where I was. I mean, I don't know her that well, but I don't think she would. Still, being stuck in a cell most of the time…I was worried she might've wanted to take her frustrations out on someone else."

They sat in silence for a minute as Leo contemplated her reasoning. It didn't make an awful lot of sense to him. He wasn't opposed to Raph and Tau being friends, only. But, 'saving' their relationship certainly hadn't been his motivation when he'd tried to get them to spend some time apart.

"I still don't understand why she wrote to me." he admitted quietly. Tau chewed her lip for moment before she answered.   
"Sometimes Leo, when all you have are enemies, the least of them is the closest thing you have to a friend. It's a dark place to be, I know. I wouldn't wish it on anybody! And I was very lucky that Raph and you guys helped me out of it fairly quickly. I hate to think how she has to cope with losing everything, so I suppose I did it to help her out too." she quietly explained.

After pondering for another minute Leo nodded, thinking he was finally starting to understand.   
"I'm just… Do you think…I should write back?" he asked tentatively. "I mean, she doesn't ask me to, and…well, she's been pretty blunt…"   
"That's up to you really. What did she say?" queried Tau. Leo held out a single page featuring a small section of kanji for her to take.   
"Um, I can't read this." she reminded him.   
"Oh, sorry." he sheepishly took the page back, clearing his throat nervously to gather the courage to read it out loud. It took a lot more nerve than he expected to keep his voice steady. "It says; 'Hamato Leonardo. I want to make one thing irrevocably clear. I hate you. A mutual acquaintance has suggested you may benefit from obtaining my point of view on certain matters. I do not see how it will change anything. Sincerely, Oroku Karai.'"

"Wow. 'Blunt' is a bit of an understatement!" commented Tau softly. "What's this down here?" she pointed out a notation in English below the main body of the letter.   
"It seems to be some kind of Post Office Box. Her return address, I guess." explained Leo.   
"Oh, maybe it goes direct to Bayview, rather than through the whole prison admin system… or something." she speculated.   
"Or it could be a trap." added Leo; Tau quirked a dubious eyebrow at him.   
"For what, your letters?" she asked sardonically.   
"A way to trace where we live, or get my fingerprints off the paper, or… I don't know." he replied, getting a little exasperated. Tau rested her hand on his arm.   
"Or it _could_ just be her return address, Leo." she pointed out gently.

The uncertain turtle stared at the letter in his hand, as if he could somehow see through the paper to the truth behind it.   
"So, what do I do now?" he finally asked.   
"Well, she has gone out on a bit of a limb just writing to you. I think the least you can do is write back; even if it's just to tell her your 'acquaintance' is an interfering idiot, and you're never gonna write to her again!" suggested Tau with a brief, self-effacing laugh. "But, seriously, it's up to you. Whether you see it as an opportunity or a trap, I won't try to change your mind or anything. Whatever happens between you two is your business. I'm stayin' well out of it from now on!" she declared with certainty.   
"'Between us two'?" Leo picked out with a deep scowl. "You know that I _don't_ feel that way about her at _all_!"

Tau frowned back at him.   
"That's not what I meant; I thought you were _friends_ once. I'm not about to assume it's anything more than that, just because she's a woman!" she reprimanded him lightly.   
"Good." nodded Leo. "So long as you understand that. And don't think this is going to make me ease up on you and Raph becoming anything more either." he warned. Tau fixed him with a cool glare.   
"I wouldn't expect it to. I _do_ know you have more integrity than _that_, Leo." she assured. "And so do _I_." she added, haughtily turning her nose in the air.   
"Alright." he acquiesced shortly. "Then this is the end of the matter. I doubt I'll write back. What's the point of trying to settle our differences now anyway?"

The loud banging of a fist on wood cut off Taushas' reply. With a sigh she gave Leo a brief, consolatory pat on the shoulder as she stood to go answer the door. Opening it, Raph was stood there with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Before she could say a word he gave a loud 'Hmpf'.   
"Look Tau." he said sternly. "I'll 'pologise to you, 'k? But there's no-way in hell I'm gonna say sorry to… _You_!" he growled, spotting Leo past her shoulder as his brother got to his feet.

"Uh, Raph, wait…" Tau tried unsuccessfully to stop the hot-head from barging into her room.   
"What the hell are you doing in here?" he demanded of his brother.   
"Just talking, Raph." answered Leo levelly, his letter safely hidden from sight in his belt pocket.   
"Talking? Talking 'bout what?" before his brother could answer his brusque questions Raph turned and gripped Tau by the top of her arms. "Are you ok?" he asked in sudden concern. "He hasn't upset you; has 'e?"

Tau gave him a warm smile as she shook her head.   
"I'm fine!" she assured, resting her hands on the top edge of his plastron to calm him. "It's nothing for you to worry about, really."   
"Dinner!" echoed Mikes' voice from below. Despite Taus' assertions, Raph still turned his head to glower at Leo as his brother walked past them to head downstairs. As soon as Leo was out of sight, he tried to face her again to get the real story of what was going on; only to find his attempt hindered by her pulling him close to press three quick, warm kisses along the side of his jaw.

"What's that for?" he asked, pleasantly surprised at her being so forward. Tau responded by wrapping her arms loosely around his neck and murmuring in his ear,   
"I just realised; the only good thing about fighting is…making-up afterwards." she explained with a mischievous note in her voice.   
"I'm down with that!" he agreed, giving a low chuckle. He quickly trailed small nips and kisses of his own along her jaw-line towards her chin, turning her face towards him with a gentle hand on her cheek.   
"No. 'Friends' remember?" she breathed, as his lips brushed close to hers; tilting her head away slightly to evade him, not enough to break the touch of his mouth on her cheek.

"HOY! I said '_Dinner_'!" interrupted Mikes' raised voice again. The two of them stepped apart; Raph with a grimace, Tau with a resigned sigh. Just as they'd anticipated, Leo peered back in through the doorway to see what was keeping them.

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Final A/N:   
I hope you're not all disappointed with this story. I got the feeling everyone was hoping that Raph and Tau would be the ones doing the 'revealing' in this tale. I'm afraid not! Well, they have taken a few small steps closer to sorting themselves out… and Raph did have his own little revelation that he wants his relationship with Tau to be based as much on respect and trust as the physical stuff. Tau has also realised that some of her reasons for them not getting together are as strong or relevant as she first thought. That's gotta count for something, right? Even though she's still being pig-headed about the whole thing.

Sorry this fic kinda 'cuts off'; it was always just a bit of an insight into life in the Lair between major adventures and everyone getting to know each other a little better. And there have been quite a few little points raised in this that are seeds for upcoming stories;   
Hun has a very bad day in the not too distant future. The Foot, the Scorpions and the Turtles are all going to converge on him at once. And Tau manages to get herself caught up in the middle of it all, of course.   
Casey and April have decided to tie the knot… will it all go smoothly? Will anyone raise an objection when given the chance during their ceremony? Will Angel be there, and will she ever speak to Raph or his brothers again?   
Karai is still haunting the turtles' lives; or the life of one at least, no matter how deeply he can immerse himself in denial of that fact.   
And we found out how Tau is earning her fare for her trip home, and got a few more insights into what is driving her need to leave.

As some of you know, and others have probably guessed, this is going to be a fairly long running series. I am hoping to advance, if not resolve, most of these plot-lines this year. And a few extra ones to boot! Fingers crossed I'll get there! To that end, I will post the first chapter of the follow-on fic from this one; 'The Curse of the Broken Pearl', within the next day or so. Poor Tau is gonna find out the hard way just how randomly adventurous the turtles lives can get! BWAHAhahaha!

Ahem, yeah, well… hope you all continue to enjoy reading this series. I'm having an absolute ball writing it! -grin-

Cheers!


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